Melancholy room
by ThatOneMoron
Summary: One night Kuroko is taken from his own home by a masked man! He later wakes up in an unfamilliar room with no windows. Where is he? Who took him there? And is he ever gonna get away! Yandere!KiKuro! Later KagaKuro or AoKuro WARNING: RAPE, BOYxBOY! RATED M FOR A REASON! The title is quite random, not really good at making them, or summaries.. SORRY! XD
1. Chapter 1

**OKAY! Just to make sure you understand, I do not support rape or well- Any of the things I will make Kuroko go through in later chapters x3x' xD Oh! And if you don't like boyxboy or you're easily uh.. Disturbed? Then this is no story for you xP I wrote this on a whim, but I hope you enjoy it. Cx  
I do not own Kuroko No Basuke, or any of the characters, and so on O3O**

It was a cold, moist night. Kuroko felt a shiver run through his spine as he made his way down the empty, dark streets. Practice was exceptionally long today, so he barely managed a short trip to Maji Burgers with his beloved light, Kagami. Kuroko smiled to himself, a light blush visible on his snow-white cheeks. He could barely believe that the red-head was still by his side, loving basketball just as much as he did before they started their 'quest' to beat his former team mates. That was one of the many wonderful things to loved about Kagami.

"Kagami-kun.." The teal-head unconsciously muttered under his breath, a thing he found himself doing a lot when he felt lonely. It was at times like these he wished the team didn't share the responsibility that came with having Nigou. He wanted to hug the little fur-ball, holding it close to his hearth in hope of the loneliness going away.

It didn't take long before he spotted the plain, familiar building he called home. He slipped his cold, slightly red hand into his pocket, slipping his keys out. He unlocked the door, taking a hold of the cold handle before turning it opening the door to reveal the tiny, dark doorstep. "I'm home.." He said quietly, knowing there was no one there to hear him anyway. After all his parents were overseas, which they were most of the year. While his brother was staying at the dorms of his university, but Kuroko didn't really mind that. After all Tetsuo came home a couple of times a week to keep him company.

Still, something didn't feel right. He wasn't sure what it could be, but there was a feeling gnawing in the back of his head. He sighed lightly as he took of his shoes, trying to ignore this nagging feeling. Ignoring his hunger he went straight upstairs to his room. All he wanted to do was to go to sleep, to feel the comfort of the sheets wrapped tightly around him. He heaved another sigh as he opened the door, failing to notice the dark shadow in the small corridor as a cold breeze immediately hit his face. His chest grew tight; he couldn't remember leaving the window open. As a matter of fact he could even remember opening it in the first place. Turning on the lights, he proceeded to go over to close the window by his bed, only to stop short, to look at the mess on his desk. It was filled with photographs and photo albums, his camera in the middle of the mess.

He picked up a picture, noting that other people than him had been ripped out of it. He let out a ragged breath, what was he supposed to do know? What could he do if the culprit was there? He took the camera into his hand. It was the hardest and closest thing to him, possibly the only thing he could use to protect himself, if needed. He looked around the room for a possible hiding place, deciding on the closet being the most likely place for anyone to hide. To his surprise the lights went out before he could decide on a place to check. He tried to stop his body from trembling violently as he slowly turned around to face whoever was responsible.

There they stood, judging from the body build it was clearly a male, he was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a- ….A dog mask? Kuroko cocked his head in surprise; that really wasn't something he was expecting to see. He quickly regained his composure again when the masked man took a step closer to him.

"..W- what do you want?" Kuroko questioned bluntly, taking a step backwards. He tried to glare at the masked man in front of him, blocking the door.

The only answer he got from the man was a snicker as the man started walking closer to him. Kuroko quickly held his camera up, taking a picture with hopes of the flash confusing the stranger. After the flash went off he quickly threw the camera as hard as he could into the stranger's head.

'Now I just need to get away' Kuroko thought to himself, looking over at the still, blocked exit. He turned to the window, the stranger seemed to have gotten in that way, so there was a possibility he could get away through there. He ran over as fast as his shaky, tired legs could carry him. He jumped onto his bed, taking a hold of the windowsill to support him as he opened the window wider. Looking out, he could see no other way than to take the chance and jump, but before he could take the chance he was thrown down onto the floor.

Kuroko let out a small grunt as all air was knocked out of him, from the sudden impact. He could hear the window getting slammed shut. He quickly tried to crawl over to the door, falling repeatedly in the process. He took a hold of the table do drag himself faster over to the door when he felt a sudden pain in the back of his head, all too soon everything went dark.  
_

Kuroko felt warm and comfortable, wrapped up in clean sheets. He yawned as he forced his heavy eyelids open. He squinted his eyes. The white wall he was staring at didn't make much sense to him, just where was he? He turned around thinking hard about the matter at hand, when the earlier event suddenly came back to him. He quickly pushed himself off the bed, falling face-flat to the floor.

"Ow.." Kuroko muttered silently, sitting up. He looked around himself, taking in the scenery. He was in a small room with white walls, stone floor, no windows and two doors, one in metal while the other was a white tree door. In the room was a bed, with a nightstand beside it, on the nightstand was three books. In the corner was something that looked like a mini-kitchen.

"Where am I..?" He asked himself, rubbing the back of his head. He winced as he accidentally touched a sore spot; he guessed that was where he was his earlier. He couldn't help, but wonder just how long he'd been out, from the heavy feeling in his body he guessed that a long while must have passed. He looked around for a clock, but there was none to be seen. He felt his chest clench around his heart as he thought about taking trying the doors, where would they lead him? Were they locked? Would they help him figuring out where he was? Were there other people on the other side waiting for him to open them?

He took a deep breath before standing up hesitantly, his sore muscles didn't help much right now. He stood still for what felt like hours before taking the first step towards the doors, whatever was waiting had to come sooner or later. It was better to get this over with after all, wasn't it? He made his way over to the doors, deciding on trying the wooden door first as it seems more normal than the metal one.

He opened the door, revealing a tiny bathroom. There was a toilet in the left corner closest to the door, a sink with by its side. Above the sink there was a mirror with a small shelf; on the shelf were a toothbrush and a few other things. In the right corner, on the opposite side of the room there was a shower. No window here either. He sighed in relief; this seemed like a completely normal room after all, there wasn't much to it at all.

He closed the door carefully not to make much sound. He really wasn't good with sounds when his nerves were put on edge like this. He then turned to the other door, reaching his hand out to the door knob. He quickly withdrew his hand, as a sudden vibration from his pocket shocked him. His whole body trembled at the sudden interruption of the silence in the room. He looked at his pocket, for a few moments before realizing that it was his phone. His phone! This could his way out of here! He fumbled to get his phone out of his pocket with his shaky hands, but got it out all the same. He flipped his phone open, accidentally dropping it.

"KUROKO! WHY THE HELL AREN'T YOU-" Kagami growled on the other side of the line, surprisingly enough making Kuroko's eyes tear up.

"Ka- …Kaga..mi-kun.." Kuroko cried out, his voice cracking. His feet grew week under him, making him fall to the ground. He carefully lifted the phone up from the cold floor with his shaky hands, sobbing silently.

"Kuroko..? What's wrong? Where are you?" Kagami questioned, clearly concerned.

"Ka-" Kuroko took a shaky breath, trying to calm himself down. "Kaga- mi-kun.. I- I.. Uhg.. I don't kno-" Kuroko fell silent as he heard a door, the metal door unlock.

"Kuroko? What? What don't you know? OI! KUROKO, ANSWER ME, DAMMIT-!" Kagami shouted in the other end.

Kuroko's attention was stolen as the metal door opened, and soon slammed into the wall behind it. Before Kuroko could turn around to see who entered the room he was slammed to the floor, his phone forced out of his hands. He grunted, pushing himself up from the floor. He could still hear Kagami's shouting, until it was cut off by a sudden crack. He looked up to see his broken phone in the hands of- Ki- no way..

"That's no good, Kurokocchi~~! I was sure you left your phone in your bag like usual, you could've ruined everything.." Kise said in a low voice, a wicked smile planted over his face.

 **Now, what do you think? OuO' This is just like, uhm.. a tastetest.? xD I'e already started making the next chapter, and I'm looking forward to make even more~!  
-That is if any of you guys want more cx Please tell me if you want more and I'll make sure to update soon cx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Uhuhuhu... Sorry 'bout that cookies.. xD Was a bit slow, I wrote it, but decided that I wanted to change the whole thing and well, CHRISTMAS IS STRESSING X3X XD  
-Aaaaanywaaay! Please accept this as some kind of Christmas gift from meh~ cx  
Enjoy!**

"-ko?" Kagami stared down at the phone in his hand, shock evident on his face. He showed no sign of noticing his stunned teammates, who had just arrived at the school roof. He felt all kinds of unnameable feelings fill his body, only making his head mistier than it already was. He could barely think of anything, when Kuroko finally answered it only created more questions. He hurriedly tried to call again, only for the line to be cut off. He glared furiously down at the phone in his hand before bashing it against the roof he was sitting on, he let out a light sigh, relieved that it didn't break.

Silence filled the air. All of seirin were staring at him in anticipation, silently waiting for him to explain his sudden change of attitude. They knew it had something to do with Kuroko; after all they had been trying to get a hold of him for more than a day now.

Kagami gritted his teeth, lost in thoughts about his\- No, their teal-headed shrimp of a friend. That was, until he felt a blow to his head followed by his female trainers strict voice breaking the fragile silence.

"Oi, Bakagami! Get your ass in gear, and tell us-" She demanded, getting cut off when Kagami chose to speak up.  
"Shut up-! ...Please" He exclaimed, glaring down at the ground, he quickly cleared his head before trying to explain what he needed to tell his teammates. "I got through," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose in attempt to finding the right words as quickly as he possibly could.

"WHAT?!" Riko shouted in unison with the rest of the team, interrupting Kagami. "What did that bastard say?! Why didn't he contact anyone? Why didn't he pick up until now?! What excuses did that damned shrimp use this time?!" The brunette completely lost it, obviously thinking that their worry was wasted this time around. The team seemingly thinking the same, it seemed to them like they had been wasting more than a day, and even two lunch breaks on this useless worry.

"LET ME FUCKIN' SPEAK!" His voice rang out, the usually well-hidden American accent peaking through his words. "..please" He added, waiting in silence until he regained everyone's attention. "He did pick up, but something didn't seem, no. Something definitely wasn't right." His voice grew unexpectedly soft as he spoke on, almost ending in a whisper.

"What do you mean?" Teppei questioned, the question everyone present wanted to ask, his worry evident in his voice.

"He sounded.. Distressed," Kagami muttered, partly satisfied with the word he chose to use. "in the least." He added, clutching his hands in frustration.

Silence fell over the group once more, no one wanted to speak up. There was nothing to say, they all knew something was wrong, they all knew that their friend was nothing like an open book. Hell, there were times when he was harder to read than a closed one, if that was possible. Distressed? What kind of voice did he show Kagami for him to worry this much? What was wrong with their beloved friend? What were they supposed to do? Nobody knew his address, how would they? He was never the kind of person to invite people with him, and he would never accept visitors. Glances were exchanged as the choking silence seemed to grow thicker. After what seemed like forever, Kagami snapped his phone open again, hoping he would get through, if only once more, that was all he would need.

"We'll.. Take this before we start training," Riko muttered hesitantly, her words silent, barely nudging the heavy silence. "think about the matter for now, but don't let it affect you in class." She added, hoping that everyone, if at least anyone was paying attention. She could see that Kagami wouldn't snap out of his trance, and she didn't feel like forcing him out of it either. She quietly walked over to the doors leading inside, motioning for the rest of the team to follow her, leaving Kagami to his own thoughts.

"Kise-kun.." Kuroko frowned up at the blonde, too shocked for new tears to form. His mind too blurred to say any more, anything. He had so many questions, seeing Kise only formed more of them in his mind. Where were they? What was this place? What were they doing there? Why was Kise here? Where was he supposed to begin? Kuroko opened his mouth to ask, but nothing came out.

"Now, now~ you'll get cold if you sit down there, Kurokocchi~" Kise said, reaching out a hand to help Kuroko up.

"..What is this place.?" Kuroko finally managed to ask, ignoring Kise's hand. As a matter of fact he was too busy studying the wide, unsettling smirk on the blonde's face.

Noticing Kuroko's hesitation, Kise took a strong hold of Kuroko's slender, upper arm before dragging him to his feet forcefully. Kuroko winced at the pain rushing through his arm from the blonde's grip.

"P-please let go, Kise-kun." Kuroko said, trying to keep his voice as monotone as he possibly could. He quickly took a hold of the blonde's hand, trying to push the hand away from his arm. Doing this, he noticed that he wasn't wearing his jacket anymore, Despite Kuroko's attempt at making the blond let go, his grip only tightened around Kuroko's slender arm.

"You like it?" Kise questioned his voice sharp. His hold on Kuroko's arm tightened for the tiniest second before he threw him to the bed.

Once Kuroko hit the mattress he quickly tried to push himself up, the bed's creaking under the weight on it. He stopped short once he felt Kise's body pressing against his back, pressing him down against the mattress.

"Your new room," Kise added in a whisper, pressing his lips softly against Kuroko's tender neck. "I prepared everything for you~" A chuckle escaped his lips, sending shivers down the now petrified bluenette's spine.

"Eh?" Kuroko managed to force out, his voice barely audible. He wanted to move, but he found it difficult, breathing took his everything. Feeling Kise's hot breath on his neck, notified every inch of his body of danger. This was a danger his body wasn't accustomed to, a fear he had never experienced before, making his whole body feel heavy.

"I did it all for you.." Kise muttered in a low, monotone voice leaning closer to Kuroko's ear then he already was. Kuroko felt Kise's cold hand slipping into his shirt, tracing his slim abdomen.

Kuroko's eyes widened, all of a sudden everything seemed plain as day for him. "S-stop it, K-kise-kun" Kuroko gasped out, forcing his weight onto one of is weak arms. He desperately tried to pry the blonde's hand of him, but to no use, the blonde was. No, he had always been obviously a lot stronger than him. He felt Kise's other hand grabbing his neck forcefully, pressing Kuroko's face into the covers.

"Now, now~ be nice." Kise chuckled darkly, pressing down with more force. He moved his other hand over to the teal-head's slender chest, stroking his hand over it softly.

Kuroko found it hard to breathe like this, with his face buried in the sheets. Instinctively he started trashing around violently. He tried to push himself up, with one hand, trying to hit the hand on his neck with the other. His feet kicked around, recklessly trying to find their target. Luckily they did, well, at least close. He was able to hit the blonde's thighs hard enough for his grip to loosen up. Kuroko used the chance to push himself, gasping for air as he moved on to crawl as far away from the blonde as he possibly could, but he wasn't that lucky at all. Before Kuroko could get away his hands were grabbed violently, it didn't take long for before he felt the blonde's weight rest on him once again, being forced upon him.

Kise held both his wrists in one hand, using the other to keep the bluenette down as he sat up. "I think I told you to be a good boy, Ku~ro~ko~chi~" He snickered darkly, sliding his hand over Kuroko's spine. "I'm running out of patience." His voice turned husky, his breath raspy.

"P-please stop.." Kuroko turned his head to be able to breathe, desperately trying to writhe his body away. It didn't help at all, but it was the only thing he could possibly think of doing now. "K-kise-kun.." He added, his voice shaking slightly, he could feel new tears forming in the crook of his eyes. The blonde's hand stopped tracing his body; actually its weight totally left his back. He let out a sigh of release feeling a slight hope arise, for this- This madness to stop. He heard the blonde sigh, a moment of peace. A moment of quiet which was broken all too soon when Kise started tugging at Kuroko's shirt, ripping it apart bit for bit ruthlessly. Kuroko cried out, begging the stronger teen to stop. Kuroko tried to turn around to push the blonde off, but it was useless when he was sitting on top of him.

Kise's movements died down, he used what was left to roughly tie Kuroko's hands together tightly above his head. Kuroko felt his pants being tugged off violently, in one swift movement. Kuroko felt his body growing colder, his spirit already dying down. He tried to wiggle his hips away from the blonde, but the blonde grabbed his hips aggressively.

 **~WARNING, RAPE OFICIALLY STARTS HERE~**

"If you can't be good, I can't play nice either. Kurokocchi." Kise growled out, rubbing his erect member against Kuroko's entrance before forcing it inside, bit by bit.

"N-n **o! St.. STO-!** " Kuroko screamed out, the pain and fear causing his voice to disappear before he could finish. He felt his entrance tearing up as Kise's member slowly filled him up. Kuroko clutched the sheets, holding them tightly in hope of the pain weakening. He felt incredibly relieved when Kise's movements stopped, even though he knew it was because he'd forced his whole disgusting thing inside him. He probably, no, definitely stopped to get used to the tightness, now making small circular movements to "stimulate" the tight cave.

"..Re..lax a bit, Kuro..kocchi.." Kise gasped out in between ragged breaths, taking a brusing hold of the teal-head's hips.

"C..c'n't-" Kuroko sobbed out, the pain was unbearable and he knew this was just the beginning of it all.

Kise let out a grunt as he slowly pulled out before slamming back in again. Kuroko let out a silent scream, leaving his voice stuck in his throat. Bitter tears streamed down his scarlet cheeks. The pain was killing. His insides were being ripped apart. He could feel the blood dripping down his thigh; he could feel the heavy metallic smell filling the air. He didn't know if he should be relieved or not, maybe the blood was making things go smoother. Trust after trust, his body was swaying back and forth with the blonde's careless movements. Kise traced his hands over Kuroko's back and waist, leaning over him, kissing his neck. **Disgusting.** Kuroko pleaded silently for everything to stop, he felt nauseous, dirty, abused. Right in this moment he just wished to be left alone, to disappear, to **die**. He felt a new pain pulsing through his body from his neck as the blonde bit down. Kuroko could swear he heard something tear, he could feel the blonde teen's teeth sink into him . Kise's movements turned faster and faster each time he trusted into Kuroko, soon he was only jerking his hips lightly before giving a final, hard trust. Kuroko felt his insides being filled up more, if that was even possible. Kise's hot, sticky fluids were pouring into him, into his mushed-up insides. His mushed-up insides that felt amazingly empty as soon as the blonde pulled out of him. Kuroko cried out, finally he could relax his body, finally it was all over. He sighed out in relief, letting go of the sheets when suddenly he was jerked around.

"Ah-!" A gasp of pain escaped his mouth at the sudden movement. He looked up at the flushed, heavy-breathing blond. He didn't dare look down; he was too scared of what he might see. He started sobbing all over again by the mere thought of this- this **nightmare.** Kise grinned down at him, chuckling darkly. Kuroko's eyes widened, he choked on the same air he needed to live. He felt it, Kise pressing up against his entrance all over again. No way- Why? Kuroko tried pushing him of, pleading him to stop.

Kise slammed his hand swiftly over Kuroko's mouth, shutting him up. He then proceeded to pushing himself in, using his free hand, he took a gentle hold of the teal-head's pale, limp member.

"..Finally Kurokocchi's mine~" He snickered as he trusted in forcefully, earning a muffled scream from the smaller teen.

 **Sooooo~! What do ya guys think? It was kinda my first smut ever, so I'll happily accept any critic, please help meh improve~ cx  
Oh! And I'd love suggestions to how things will become later on if you don't mind helpin' me out a little bit ouo' xD  
Well, I hope you anjoyed, and I'll try posting the nest chapter sooner! Merry Christmas! –Or Happy holidays! cx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry this might be a bit uhm.. Messy? I just wanted to update as soon as possible, but the "proper" food I get at home seems to make me sick.. Probably because I'm used to fast food, after eating that for more than half a year xD Anyway! I hurried writing this for ya, hope you enjoy! Ah-! Thanks for the reviews! I forgot to give my thanks last time as I finished in the middle of the night, not that that is any excuse x3x'' Well then, please enjoy, and please tell me if there's anything I need to fix~ I love getting reviews, so thanks, again xD Oh and, honestly.. I might write different ending to this story, if ya want to, with different pairings of course xD ..Please give me a heads-up if ya want that!**

Aomine put his arm over his eyes, blocking the sun from disturbing him. The roof was the only place he could find with peace and quiet, quiet enough to get a rest at least.

"Dai-chan!" The doors slammed open as Momoi came rushing out. "Stop avoiding me, would you?" She wined, folding her arms over, no, under her chest. "And stop skipping class!" She had been nagging him all day, this was getting nowhere.

Aomine turned away, groaning lazily. "Leave me alone Satsuki, I'm just taking a tiny break.. You were the one keeping me up all night.." He mumbled, letting out a yawn.

"But you don't listen to me, Dai-chan!" She whined, pouting down at him.

He could feel her intense stare as he tried to ignore it, but in the end he gave in, as always. He sat up with a sigh, rubbing his neck. "I'm listening, but if it's just all useless fretting then I'm leaving.." He sighed once more, looking up at her just in time to see her pout turn into a soft smile.

"Sure." She nodded in agreement before continuing. "The thing is, I'm worrying about Tetsu-kun.." She muttered, sitting down beside her beloved childhood friend.

"You've already said tha-"

"You said you would listen!" She whined once more, earning a sigh of surrender from the bluenette. She waited until she had his full attention before she spoke up again. "He never replied, and he turned his phone off at lunch-time. You know that's not like him, I even tried calling Hiro-nii, and he doesn't pick up! And-"

Aomine stood up without a word, making his way to the doors.

"Dai-!"

"I understand, we'll go to Seirin after classes, I'm sure he's there and everything is fine" He said with a sigh, cutting her off. He clenched his fists for the tiniest moment, before making his way inside, Momoi following closely behind.

 **~ -* (~OuO)~ * - ~**

"Gh-! ..Ugh.. Nnhn.." Kuroko sobbed silently, covering his eyes with his now free hands. He wasn't sure when, but some time during this- this hell the knot on this shirt had loosened enough for him to slip his hands out. He was sure he had been trying to push Kise off of him for hours, by now he was too tired to even think of trying. He was way too tired to even grip at anything, everything was tired and aching, even his fingers. And here he'd been living his life thinking sore muscles was hard to live with, that training was supposed to be hard to survive.

The air was moist, hot and truth to be told it was stinking, the smell of blood and sweat was chokingly strong. After god knows how many rounds Kise barely showed any sign of finishing, Kuroko's behind was feeling numb by now, but the pain refused to subside. Weirdly enough Kuroko started feeling a weak, but enticing pleasure in this nightmare. He felt Kise's grip on his legs tighten, again, as his legs were pushed downwards against his chest. He had no idea his body could eve do that, for a moment he was sure he was gonna break, that is if he wasn't already broken. Kise moved Kuroko's ankle closer to his own face, sliding his tongue against the pale skin. He continued doing so, nibbling lightly every now and then before biting down hard. Kuroko flinched at the pain emitting from the spot, he'd been hoping he'd gotten used to it already after all the times they had repeated the same- ..thing. Kuroko felt Kise lapping up his blood hungrily like some animal all over again, he tried pulling his foot away, but sadly Kise's hold was too strong. Kise started kissing the bite, soon sucking on it, is movements growing rapid; this round had been longer than most of the others. Hopefully this was the last of it.

Skin slapping against each other, the bed creaking loudly, Kuroko's soft, choked gasps and Kise's sharp pants was all that could be heard in the room until a certain ringing noise broke through the air, igniting a light sparkle of hope deep within Kuroko. Both Kise and Kuroko froze for a slight moment; the teal-head looked up at the bigger teen hoping for him to move away. Kise glared down at the floor where his clothes somehow ended up at some point in time. He sighed heavily before returning his attention to the teal-headed boy, his movements slower than ever. Soon the phone stopped ringing, as silence fell over the room again Kise let go of Kuroko's legs, leaning down against him in a slow, elegant motion before doing something Kuroko never would expect- He kissed him, it wasn't much, just a light peck on his lips. As soon as it happened it was over. Kise leaned away from the smaller figure again, the same gentle, puppy-like look on his face he normally had. The look that suited him better than any other, but Kuroko still didn't like it, he never knew why. Well, he had his guesses now. He felt Kise's thumb brush over his lips, making Kuroko's insides churn.

"You're so cute, Kurokocch-" Kise's smile left him when ringing interrupted him. He narrowed his eyes, anger evident in them as he looked over at the floor again. He bent down, picking up his pants before slipping his phone out of them. He then put his hand over Kuroko's mouth, making a shushing motion with his other hand before picking up.

"Ryouta speakin'~!" Kise grinned as he spoke, slowly trusting into the teal-head beneath him. "Ah, Akashicchi~ Heheh~ Sorry 'bout that, I'm kinda in the middle of something.." He traced off, tightening the grip he had on Kuroko making the smaller teen whimper. Kuroko earned a glare from the blonde which sent shivers down his spine, but he couldn't help it he wanted to get out of here and this might be his only chance, at least for a while. Kuroko tried to get away from Kise's grip; he didn't have enough voice left to be heard even if he tried. Kise continued his conversation, sounding as cheerful as ever. While Kuroko tried to force Kise's hand away from his mouth using both his hands to try pushing it away, all the while digging his nails into it. Not that he thought it'd do much for him as tired as he was; even so he never was one for giving up. He continued trying to pry Kise's hand away 'till he heard something that shocked him, in the least.

"Eh?! Going to Kurokocchi's? I'd love to come with you! ..But why~?" Kise questioned, turning away from the phone before letting out a ragged breath. In the midst of the slow, circular movements of his hips he gave a sudden hard trust. He was probably about to come, again. "Really~ I thought we were finished with our sudden visits already~" Kise said with a chuckle, he talked a bit more before ending the conversation with a 'coming right away!' Then he glared down at Kuroko, throwing his phone to the floor before putting two of his slender fingers against the teal-heads mouth. He rubbed them against Kuroko's lips, before forcing them into the wet cave. Kuroko tried to turn his head away, but Kise held it firmly in place as he shoved his fingers down the teal-head's throat. Kise started trusting his hips again, silently. He kept glaring down at Kuroko, ignoring his choked coughing and violent gagging.

It didn't take long after that for the blonde to finish; he pulled his fingers out of the bluenette's mouth- More like out of his throat before he licked them clean. He then proceeded to gathering his clothes silently. He rubbed his neck, sighing loudly as he did so before turning to Kuroko with one of his "soft" smiles.

"Seems like you really did make everything faster than planned, but that only means we'll have to leave earlier.." He pulled out a key from the shirt in his arms, letting his smile drop again before speaking up once more. "You won't get away from me now that I've finally got you for myself. I really hope you realize that, Kurokocchi" He unlocked the door, turning away again. "Well then! I'll be back soon to check on you, in the mean time you can make yourself at home~!" He gave a chuckle before leaving, closing and locking the door behind him.

Kuroko didn't pay much attention to the blonde now that it was over. He was too busy catching his breath. He's head felt light, his eyes were burning and his body hurt and was felt dirty. He wanted to get up and take a shower, a long shower that maybe, just maybe could wake him up from this nightmare, but he couldn't. He was too sleepy, at the moment he felt like he wasn't able to mind the dirty, wet, sticky sheets. He just wanted to sleep; maybe he would be lucky enough to wake up in his own bed. He moved ever do slowly; pulling his legs carefully to his chest, even this hurt enough to make new tears stream down his chest. He shut his eyes tightly, he had a feeling this would be a long day- or night, whatever it was.

..Wait.. Leave? Leave where.?

 **~ -* (~'O3O)~ * - ~**

Kagami sighed heavily pulling a clean shirt over his head before closing the metal locker in the changing room. Training had been nothing more than jogging around, bumping into each other, getting hit by flying balls.. Today, just like yesterday, no one was actually paying attention, not even Riko who let out steam by driving them harder. He glanced over to his side with the tiniest expectation, no. Hope, that the small bluenette would stand there with the same blank stare as always. Scaring the crap out of him.. Like always. Where could he have gone to?

"What's up with that face?" Kiyoshi asked, rubbing his leg lightly before standing up. By now there was only the two of them in the room, Kagami hadn't even noticed the others leaving. Kagami was just about to answer when the door was opened, a dark voice ringing out through the air before as much as a second passed.

"See? Nothin' to worry about." All of siring looked over at the two teens standing in the doorway. The pinkette obviously upset, the navy-haired idiot looking around the room lazily, before frowning.

"Where's Tetsu/Tetsu-kun?" Their voices rand out in unison, worry evident in both voices. Worry.. Or was it anger, maybe both.?

 **~ -* (~'OnO)~ * - ~**

 **Was it any good.? x3x'' I kinda got help from my homophobic-ish brother with this chapter, so- Yeah.. Not sure if I'm happy about that or no- xD Please leave a review and yeah, I'll probably update this chapter later on, if it's needed xD Anyway! Thanks for reading, I'll try to update soon! cx**


	4. Chapter 4

**ALRIGHT! NEW CHAPTER AND THANKS AGAIN FOR REVIEWS! Uhm.. Again, the pairing isn't decided yet, but, well, it kinda is. But I can't really spoil stuff for ya guys, can I? xD So yeah, I just hope you won't have any problems with my decision, but there's still some time before that uh.. Is completely revealed, I guess? xD Anyway! Please enjoy! Cx**

 **~ -* (/3)/ * - ~**

"Tetsu"

"Tetsu"

"What is it Aomine-kun?" Kuroko glanced down at the navy-haired boy before returning his attention to his book. It was a simple, yet extraordinary novel.

"Your lap is hard-"

"I'm a boy, my lap isn't supposed to be soft Aomine-kun. If you want comfort then you should rest on Momoi-san's lap." He sighed lightly.

"Eh? I don't want that, my lap is reserved for Tetsu-kun~" Momoi giggled happily to herself, holding a hand to her mouth.

"It's not like I wanna use your lap anyway Satsuki.." Aomine grumbled back, and so a new argument began. Times like this always made Kuroko feel like smiling, at the same time as he felt incredible annoyed. He wanted peace and quiet to read, but there was something about it. The air was warm and filled with, something unexplainable. It made Kuroko feel warm and ..delighful..

As it was now he could return to ignore his two friends, and finally return to reading. Luckily he had grown used to the noisy surroundings by now, well, nearly. He couldn't help getting a little irked from time to time..

"Tetsu." And it was on again.

He glanced down at Aomine again, not able to hold back the small sigh escaping his lips. "What is it now Aomine-kun?"

"How much do you weight?" Aomine had that childish glint in his eyes again, what could he be up to now.?

"Enough" Kuroko stated plainly, without hesitation. He hated this subject, even more if it was for some kind of game.

"C'mon, Tetsu. How much?" Aomine reached up, grabbing Kuroko's book as he closed it in one calm motion.

"48 kilos" He muttered, guessing that the faster he answered the faster he'd get to read.

"Hmm.. Enough you said..? I can easily take you" Aomine grinned before rolling off the teal-head's lap. He stopped rolling as soon as he got off the lap.

"It's more than enough Aomine-kun" Kuroko muttered, obviously annoyed by this. He opened his book again, trying to find the page he was on when- "..Take?" He questioned, frowning slightly as he looked over at his navy-haired friend. Aomine was lying on his back, elbows firmly planted on the ground, holding his hands up.

"Bench press! Get on, Tetsu!" He grinned at Kuroko once more, making weird grabbing-motions with his hands.

Kuroko shifted, moving ever so slightly away before returning his attention to the book once more. "I don't think so Aomine-kun"

"Come on Tetsu, I won't drop you! Or are you trying to say you don't trust me?" There we go again, acting like some pampered child..

"I'm trying to.. Read, Aomine-kun.." Kuroko sighed, standing up. "I'm sure I've already asked you not to disturb me." He added, bowing before excusing himself, it seemed he wouldn't be able to read here anymore.

"Geez, Dai-chan! You can't force Tetsu-kun like that!" Momoi jumped up, immediately lecturing her childhood friend. Making Kuroko stop in his tracks, it made him kind of happy to see her doing that.

It was obvious to Kuroko that Aomine ignored her scolding when he felt a hand wrapping around his wrist. He felt adrenaline shoot through his body as he was jerked backwards. All of a sudden he remembered this clearly, he was going to fall onto Aomine. His head would hit the ground and he had to spend the rest of the day at the nurse's office. After that Kise and Momoi didn't let Aomine touch him for a while, it was such a.. Special time.

He prepared for impact when he suddenly felt his back hitting a chest. No pain. Looking down, he noticed that he was still standing. He was no longer wearing the white pant belonging to the Teiko uniform, but black ones. He glanced over his shoulder spotting red hair, it seemed to be him.

"-Are you even listening to me Kuroko?!" He said, letting go of the bluenette's wrist.

"I'm sorry, what did you say Kagami-kun?" Kuroko turned around to face his light, sighing slightly in relief. Relief. That had to be the closest feeling to the one he felt right now.

"Really.." Kagami scowled. "I said you need to pay attention and watch where you're going! What's gotten into you today?" He added, starting to walk again. Slowly, as if to make sure Kuroko was following him.

"I apologize" Kuroko muttered, turning around to follow his teammate when suddenly darkness wrapped around him.

Before he knew it he started falling, he flailed his arms trying to grab onto something. Anything. He heard Kagami calling his name, repeatedly, his voice ringing in his ears. His body felt heavier and heavier, his friend's voice growing weaker and weaker. Air refused to enter his lungs, warm arms wrapping tightly around him.

"Are you feeling good, Kurokocchi~?" A raspy whisper resounded through the air. The sounds of creaking, muffled cries and heated pants growing louder and louder and **Louder-**

Kuroko's eyes shot up, the sound of his alarmed heart beating violently filling his ears. It took a while for his eyes to adjust to the dim surroundings, he was sure that the dizziness he felt was slowing down the progress greatly. Soon he felt the stench of blood and sweat reaching his nose, confirming that the events before wasn't a part of his nightmare.

He sighed heavily as he sat up, slowly, even the tiniest movement sent what felt like electric charges of pain through his body. He glanced around the room, there was no sign of Kise having returned, or "checked" on him. He carefully pushed himself of the dirtied bed, hesitating as his feet touched the cold ground. He let out a shaky breath, pulling at the sheets that were clinging to his cold, sticky body. His hips felt like they were crushed and forced back together and he was sure, well.. His hole, or exit if you'd, was a mushy, ripped up, mess.

He forced himself to his legs despite his aching hips, well, body. They felt unimaginably weak under his weight as he dragged himself to the two doors on the other end of the small room. He took a hold of the handle of the metal door first- It was locked, of course. Then he entered the wooden door. He was going to get out of here, but he couldn't think when he felt dirty, it had to wait. He glanced at the mirror, the reflection showing a weak, bruised up boy. He bit his lip, scanning the bruises on his body. He had lost count of how many times he had been his and bitten, what he saw made him feel powerless. More so than ever.

He stepped into the shower, turning on the water, as hot as possible. He never bathing, or showering, in too hot water. It made him feel light headed, but today was different. He hoped that the hotter the water was, the bigger was the chance of it burning away the dirtiness. The memories. He stepped in under the flowing water, feeling it burn every inch of his skin. Feeling it tear open his wounds. He couldn't help but tremble under the comfortable, but dangerous warmth. As soon as he got "used" to the burning warmth he started cleaning every part of his body, using whatever he could fins of soap and shampoo. Surprisingly enough, he found what he usually used, well, that was the only things there. After finishing he just stood there, indulged in thoughts of everything and nothing. Ignoring everything he felt, what he wanted now was to disappear.

 **~ -* (~=3=)~ * - ~**

Kagami sighed heavily, rubbing his sore cheek. The light of day was starting to dimmer; it felt like they had been walking forever by now. As if that wasn't enough he was getting tired of everyone's forced chatter, as they walked down the empty, grim street. As if the mood wasn't bad before, knowing that even Ahomine was worried made everything, just- It made it hard to breath.

"You know Aomine-kun, you really didn't have to hit him like that~" Momoi pouted, pulling at Aomine's sleeve.

"It was his own fault, I'm not gonna take any-"

"HOW WAS IT MY FAULT?!" Kagami growled out, cutting Aomine's, probably nonsense, jabbering off.

"If you hadn't looked so DAMN guilty when I asked where Tetsu are, then I wouldn't have done it! It's not my fault when you couldn't just tell me what was going on!" Aomine snapped back, immediately silencing the whole group. If anyone would've paid enough attention to the pinkette in the group they'd surely see a satisfied smile, as if she'd achieved something.

"How could I do that when I've still got no idea what's going on?" Kagami averted his gaze even though there was nothing to avert his gaze from, as he had been glaring at the ground this whole time. He couldn't help but feeling guilty, as if there was something he should've done that night they ate together.

"Tch.. Maybe if any you knew Tetsu better you'd at least have more information, and we wouldn't have to walk you to his damn house.." Aomine muttered under his breath, so hushed that barely anyone was able to hear it.

Kagami was just about to spout out the best comeback he could think of, if it hadn't been for Aomine's clenched fists. Aomine may be an annoying, loud, stupid idiot, but he clearly, like everybody else present, cared dearly about the well being of their small, teal-headed friend. In the end Kagami just shook his annoyance off, returning to his thoughts about what the future would bring them, hopefully something good. Hopefully, this was Kuroko's way of saying that he's finally gotten a sense of humour. A terrible one at that..

Soon several conversations could be heard again, none was as forced like earlier. Actually things seemed to be like normal now; things seemed to go as smoothly as air through Ahomine's empty head. That, of course, came to an end when their walk came to an end, in front of a plain, old-looking house. It had two floors, but didn't seem very big at all. As if that wasn't enough, it looked as if it was ready to fall apart. A loud sigh came from Aomine before he approached the shabby-looking door, everyone following him filled with a common light hope. Aomine was just about to knock on the door when it was flung open in a violent thrust. Aomine jerked back, but didn't seem faced by the fact that a door almost slammed into his face. He actually looked like he was expecting it, as if he was used to it.

The opened door revealed a plain looking guy, with quite long, messy hair. He shared a lot of features with their teal-headed friend, he had the same hair and eye colour and was just as pale, but he was taller and had a stronger build, and honestly looked grumpy. His glasses added to his mature, but tired look as he glared down the group at the door step.

"Get out" He muttered grumpily, eyeing Aomine as if he was his greatest treat.

"We are out" Aomine replied smugly, a small smile planted on his face as he glared back.

"Then go away, I don't want any more people here." He heaved a sigh, before continuing. "First the creepy red head, then the frikin' food addicted titan and now you and your gang of, possibly more monsters! I feel like firkin' Bilbo getting unwanted guests at inappropriate times!" He wasn't far from screeching when he stopped talking, making the weirdest hand gestures as if trying to shoo them away.

He looked- No acted like some crazy weirdo, no wonder Kuroko did well with the generation of miracles if he lived with this guy- Wait, creepy red head? Titan? Everyone looked over at Momoi and Aomine, who was staring knowingly at Momoi. Momoi on the other hand, put her fingers to her pink lips, stopping a light gasp from escaping them.

"Eh? I didn't tell you that I texted Akashi-kun, did I?" She tilted her head slightly before giggling lightly. "I'm sorry~" She added, hitting, well, more like tapping the side of her head lightly.

Silence fell over the group, this would be the first time anyone in Seirin met Akashi after the winter cup. Aomine glared at Momoi for a couple of seconds before muttering a 'whatever'. Kagami couldn't help but enjoy the somewhat betrayed look on Aomine's face.

"First off!" The teal-head by the door shouted out, seemingly not caring about the time. "To make it clear," He said looking closely at every one present. "I hate you, you, you, you, youyouyou, you, you and you" He declared, pointing out everyone except Momoi, Riko and Mitobe. "Last one to enter, close and lock the door." He added before walking inside, huffing lightly.

 **~ -* (~'O~O)~ * - ~**

 **So.. How was it? I'd really love some critic.. xD I'm sorry if some parts seem a bit forced, but well, right now I'm supposed to be at school, but instead I'm hiding because of a thing.. xD Uhm.. I hope the dream-thingy was ok, it might mean something, *cough*hinthint*cough* anyway! The chapter was supposed to be a bit longer, but my laptop is literally falling apart, like, I can see the insides of it.. So I need to post this before it's too late and I can't really start working with the next chapter until I get the new one, that'll take about two weeks or so.. So yeah, hope you don't mind xD**

 **Since I didn't keep my promise about a certain thing, I just want to tell you guys that.. In the next chapter the "investigation" will start and there'll be a part with Kise's POV, hopefully explaining a couple of things cx**

 **So yeah.. Hope you enjoyed, and please review if you did! I really appreciate it =u=**


	5. Chapter 5

**Oh god! I'M SO SO SO SO SO SORRRRRYYYY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO USE SO MUUUUUCH TIME TO UPDATE! I'VE GOT NO GOOD EXCUSE, BUT PLEASE FORGIVE MEEEE!**

 **Uh.. I hurried to finish this though, uh… When I finally stopped rewriting the thing that is XD So….. I hope you enjoy~.. ouo'''**

"I'm Tetsuhiro, Tetsuya's brother. Before you ask, the names is a family thing.." The older teal-head grumbled, leading the group to the living room.

The inside of the house wasn't as shabby-looking as the outside, it was extremely plain, but nice.

"I'm Aida Riko, Kuroko- Uhm, Tetsuya-kun's basketball coach. It's nice to meet a member of our shadow's family" Riko said jokingly, or proudly, it was hard to tell the difference when she used that stance. Standing tall with her hands on her hips, as if she was the boss, well, she kind of is.

"The pleasure is all mine" He smiled at her before glaring at the rest of the team. "Before you start, I don't need you names. I'm not going to interact with any of you unless it's absolutely necessary and the lot of you are going to sit still. The last time we had 'teammates' over we got a frikin' hole in our wall. So no moving around, no racket, no chaos. Understood?" He stood in the doorway, keeping his glare strong, not in any way paying attention to the glare Riko sent his way. Riko opened her mouth, just about to snap back at him for her team when Aomine spoke up.

"That was Kise's fault, it had nothing to do with the rest of us" He said, with a yawn as he pushed past the teal-head who immediately followed him into the room.

"Says the one who's hand was in the fucking wall!"

"He was the one who let go, even so I didn't use much force. It's kind of your fault for having such weak walls"

"Hey-"

"Now, now Hiiro-nii~! Aomine-kun doesn't mean to be mean, he's just socially incapable~" Momoi cut him off, laughing lightly. She gave him a light hug with a 'long time, no see', before walking over to her childhood friend, who was currently complaining like a child.

Everybody walked into the living room, it wasn't all that big, but it was nice. It gave off a warm, kind of homely feeling. It was a little messy, adding to the feeling of it being well-used, and the walls were white …ish? In the middle there was a round, no, oval table. By the table was a couch, an armchair and four wooden chairs, which were probably put out for them. In the corner of the room was a TV, not a very big one, nor was it very new, but it seemed almost untouched. Then there were some shelves with an uncountable number of books, some others had cups, plates, silverware, some weird things and what looked like family pictures on. Other than that there was a cupboard with cards, maybe post cards on and all that mess. There were sheets of paper, books, clothes and plates on the floor. Kagami fought the urge to clean that mess up, this wasn't something he normally would be able to ignore..

"Welcome, please have a seat wherever you can while we wait for Shintarou and Ryouta" Akashi spoke assuredly, seemingly taking no notice of the mess where he was sitting confidently on the couch. Murasakibara sat by his side, seemingly uncaring as he munched on some chips.

Soon everyone was seated, Kiyoshi was forced to sit in the armchair by Riko, the rest sat down wherever there was space. Kagami ended up sitting on the floor, right by some pictures which he ended up staring at for what felt like forever.

It didn't take long before Midorima arrived, Kuroko's older brother let him in, in the same welcoming manner as earlier. Midorima didn't say anything, he just walked straight in. He looked mildly concerned as he clutched the red sheep plushy at hand, most likely todays 'lucky item'. His eyes scanned the room, most probably expecting to see their teal-head somewhere in the somewhat dispirited crowd. Nobody said anything, not even Akashi, the air was way too heavy. Midorima stood still for a while as if to confirm something before he stiffly sat down in the couch with Akashi and Murasakibara.

After a while Kagami was getting annoyed, his legs were starting to go all numb and he was really regretting ever crossing them. And why wasn't Kise that idiot here yet? He looked over at the many pictures at one of the shelves. Every single one of them were different, some in big and small sizes. And some, no, many, were flipped over.

There was one picture in particular that piqued Kagami's interest. A picture of four people, a young couple and two toddlers. The man looked like a soft guy, his small smile looked almost apologetic. He was skinny, his height was about average and had black, straight hair, there wasn't really much to him. The woman had blue, fluffy hair, just about long enough to reach her shoulders. Looking at her made it easy to see where Kuroko got his looks from, they looked two peas in a pod. That is, if one chose to ignore the huge grin on her face. The two small boys were both gripping a part of their mother's skirt, with small smiles on their faces, the smaller one's eyes were kind of red, looking like he'd just cried.

After a long while, or about five minutes, it's the same, more or less, Kise barged in. Singsonging 'Kurokocchi' as he did so. He ran inside, his arms stretched out, ready for a hug. Not in any way prepared for a chair flying toward him. A yelp was heard, followed by a thud, a clatter and a series of gasps, mainly from the members of seirin.  
It literally happened in the blink of an eye, Tetsuhiro, or whatever his name was, got up from the wooden chair he was sitting in then sent it flying through the air. Kise somehow managed to evade it, jumping down on his hands and knees with a great thud. The chair flew right over him, barely not hitting him. Kise sat up straight as soon as the clattering of the chair was heard, as if it was some kind of signal.

"So you're here! You really need to stop scaring me like that Hiro-nii~" Kise exclaimed jokingly, standing up as if the chair-thing never happened. In fact, none of the members of the generation of miracles seemed to take note of it. Only Momoi, who was already giggling at the matter.

"Stop calling me that! And stop barging into my house, you've got no damn respect!"

"Eeh? But I can't help it, the thought of Kurokocchi comes to me, and I just- By the way, here is Kurokocchi?"

"He's gone" Aomine spke up, he, like everyone else, wanted to hurry up and get straight to the point.

"What do you mean 'gone'?" Kise tilted his head, forcing a chuckle.

"Exactly what I said" Aomine said with a sigh.

"What? But-"

"..Sit down Ryouta" Akashi cut him off, as he himself stood up. As soon as Kise sat down, Akashi started explaining the situation. The air of the room seemed to grow heavier for each word leaving Akashi's lips. Kagami tried to tell about the phone call several times, but Akashi cut him off every single time. In the end he made it clear that he knew about it when he said; 'I want you all to forget any previous theories, sights or conversation right away. If we want to get a proper understanding of the situation we need to form theories from what evidence we find, not evidence for theories we already have.' At least that's what he seemed to mean by it, not that Kagami could just let go of the call anyway.  
In the end Akashi assigned everyone to different 'teams' which would work with different things. Kagami ended up in Akashi's group, with Aomine and Tetsuhiro. Momoi was leading the second team, with Midorima, Kiyoshi, Riko and Hyuuga. Lastly Izuki was leading a team with the rest of seirin plus Murasakibara and Kise, that one would probably not get much done, would it.?

"The police have been here, they came to the conclusion of a teenager running away from home and meant he would return soon. That's why it's up to us to gather as much information on this as we can before they need to be contacted again." Akashi rubbed the back of his neck, before continuing. "Now that that's been made clear, I don't see how anyone will be able to make any progress at the small amount of time we've currently got, so I would like for all of you to return tomorrow for more information. " Everybody seemed genuinely disappointed, having gathered just to 'return tomorrow', but looking at the time it kinda made sense. Kagami got his bag as he stood up, trying to ignore the pricking in his legs that at the moment felt like frikin' gelly. He was just about to start walking when he noticed the red-head standing in front of him.

"Taiga, Daiki, you're staying here." Akashi smiled as he said so before he walked off. It wasn't a good smile; it was a smile that simply sent a shiver down one's spine. While he did indeed smile, he's eyes looked like he was out for blood. Kagami was stuck on that fact, while Aomine was already complaining as usual.

Kagami stood still for a while until he decided to at least put his bag by the exit, he was probably gonna leave soon anyway right? He made his way to the exit, but soon came to a stop when he heard Akashi's voice.

"-and Ryota." Akashi's voice was stern, it made it easy to picture a scowl on his face.

"Yes, Akashicchi?" Kise didn't exactly sound pleased either, though that was to be expected when you've just gotten to know that your friend is missing.

"Please refrain from unnecessary actions at inappropriate times in the future."

"Wh-what?" Kagami couldn't help, but to glance around the corner to see Kise's utterly confused look. There was only those two left in the entranceway.

"Did you think I wouldn't notice?" Akashi didn't even give Kise time to understand the conversation was about, not that there was anything wrong with that, it was kind of interesting to see.

"I-I-"

"Your breathing and the creaking gave it away" Kise's face grew red in the split of a second, a nervous smile made its way to his face, and he started waving around in a panic. "Do apologize to the miss, I hope she didn't take too much offence. Even though I must say, you should wait for the weekend to come next time." Akashi finished, paying close attention to Kise's, now still, hands.

"Y-yes, Akashicchi! I'm sorry about that, she- uh- was quite understanding" Kise chuckled, obviously embarrassed, Kagami immediately took a few quick steps away, it wasn't exactly his intention to hear them, and that just, yeah- There was no good comment for that.

After that it didn't take long for Akashi to step back inside, soon he guided them upstairs to what seemed to be Kuroko's room. Momoi, who stayed to wait for Aomine, came with them. The room was extremely plain. There was a bed, a desk and a closet, and guess what, the walls were white with one simple window by the bed. Akashi then told Aomine to 'see what he could find', leaving Kagami, Momoi and the other red-head in a heavy, awkward silence.

"Taiga" Akashi finally broke the silence, though his eyes didn't leave Aomine who was lazily making his way around.

"Y-yes?" Kagami stammered out, hoping he was the only one actually noticing.

"Tell me more about that phone call" So he did care about it after all? That was a relief, but what was there to tell? Where was he supposed to start? "..Why did you call him in the first place?" Akashi added, seemingly noticing Kagami's hesitation.

"Well, he didn't come to school?" Kagami said, he was aware of it sounding like a question, but wasn't that obvious? "Normally, when he doesn't come he let me, Riko and our homeroom teacher know, before classes." He added, seeing the annoyance in Akashi's face.

"So, you got worried?" Akashi questioned, seemingly having no interest at the moment.

"More like annoyed," Kagami sighed. "we had just started a new and harder training routine so I thought he overslept, though that's not like him so I called him at lunch time, he didn't pick up so I waited 'till after school, and then I got worried." He rubbed the back of his head, making sure not to look at Akashi in case he was looking his way, this was surprisingly embarrassing to say out loud. "Then I started calling him more frequently, and at lunch today, he finally picked up, and.."

"And?"

"And.." Kagami wasn't really sure of what words he was supposed to use now, was it okay to say that Kuroko was crying? Or was it better to say distressed? What did he even say? "Silence. For what felt like forever, and when he finally spoke up he.. called my name, his voice was shaking" Kagami felt his throat grow extremely dry, but he knew he had to finish talking. "I tried to ask where he was, but I don't think he ever told me." He finished, letting out a shaky breath. He now joined in on watching Aomine, he looked surprisingly serious now.

"That's all? No background noise?" Akashi's voice was silent, was he angry or just thinking?

"There was something, maybe a door, or something." Kagami added, though he wasn't too sure of it.

With that Akashi just gave a hum, nothing more. They stood there in silence for a good while until Akashi called for Aomine.

"Come to a conclusion yet?" Akashi questioned, though it seemed more like he was demanding Aomine to have found something.

"I don't know.." Aomine scoffed, even though his actions were more serious than they usually were, it was impossible for him to actually give an effort in anything, but basket huh?

"The mat." -Wait what?

Aomine immediately took a closer look at the mat on the floor. "It's old," He sighed. "but, there are marks visible on it." He added.

"Is there any that seem different."

"Shoes" Aomine replied, narrowing his eyes. "Kuroko's footsteps aren't the only one's here, there are two bigger ones too, some with shoes.?" He added, looking over at Akashi as if waiting for approval.

"Right, can you see where they've gone?" Akashi spoke as if he already knew this stuff, wait, he already did, didn't he? Then why was he making Aomine do this?

"Well, they seem to have gone out of the room twice, and in once.." Aomine looked over at the bed. "It seems as if they came in through the window, but the bed is untouched.." Kagami was now seriously starting to wonder exactly what he was doing here.

"Is it?" Akashi smiled slightly, though all in all he seemed almost disappointed? Aomine glared at him for a while before he finally walked over to the bed, then took one more look at the mat.

"Hiro fixed the damn bed, that bastard, didn't he.? DID YOU FRIKIN' SNIFF TETSU'S PILLOW AGAIN?!" Aomine practically roared out, loud enough for the whole street to hear- Wait, what exactly did he just shout? Who did what to whose what? ..Agian?!

"..I can't help it, he smells like vanilla!" Kuroko's brother shouted from downstairs, though it was barely audible.

"DAMN PERVERT!" As if Ahomine was one to talk..

After a while of this.. Whatever it was continuing, Akashi and Aomine concluded that the suspect was a guy, or a very big-footed lady. The suspect had somehow entered through the window, Kuroko's brother was weird, Kuroko had tried to get away in some way connected to his bed. Someone fell, probably Kuroko, the one who fell used the table, which was slightly out of place, to move or get up- And that was all Kagami had actually understood. After that everyone looked through the room, they found, what looked like small pieces of some pictures and a camera with a blurry picture on it.

After this they decided to finish for the night, although they were practically thrown out. The other's left, but Kagami stayed outside for a bit, there was something bothering him. He walked over to the right side of the house, using the light from his phone, he took a closer look at the wall. It was surprisingly easy to see, but it was enough of an explanation for him. There were muddy, shoe-marks on the wall. It seemed like someone had used the wall like some kind of ramp, to get enough power to jump high enough to get a hold the windowsill in Kuroko's room, to hoist themselves up. At least the one responsible wasn't doing anything impossible, maybe they could find his shadow soon.

 **~ -* (~''=w=)~ * - ~**

Kise let out a shaky breath as he took out the plate of sandwiches he prepared earlier from the refrigerator. Nothing went as planned, nothing at all! And Akashi knew something, obviously, it wasn't like him to give his opinion on private things out of the blue like that. Maybe Kise overplayed it, maybe he wasn't convincing, what if he let his mask slip? No, that's not it, it couldn't be it.

He rubbed his temple, desperately trying to calm down. Where did he go wrong? He took a deep breath. He did make a lot of mistakes, but none were crucial, right? He should never have touched the pictures, if he had just ignored them he would've left in time. He wouldn't have ended up taking his beloved Kurokocchi before everything was ready, before he had prepared every single little thing. He put down the plate, clenching his fists repeatedly in a desperate attempt of calming himself. Hopefully, no one noticed the band aids on his fingers, those could give him away. Kuroko really bit hard, though it was better than getting his face clawed off. He looked over at the used injection on the table, another mistake. If he hadn't used it, then he would've waited for Kuroko to wake up and he'd definitely notice the damn phone in time, and Akashi wouldn't be-

No, there was no use thinking about that, what was done was done, right? He picked the plate up again, then took a sandwich to munch on as he made his way to the cellar. He would definitely calm down when he saw his beloved, adorable Kurokocchi~! Opening the door leading to the stairs a horrible, sickening smell made its way out. He would never get used to it, but he didn't have anywhere else to put the judgemental trash. He quickly made his way down the wooden stairs, shoving the huge cabinet out of his way before unlocking the door. He opened the doorslowly, waiting for his phone to vibrate, as it did, then he made his way inside.

At first he was confused not to see his Kuroko, but calmed down as soon as the sound of running water made its way to his ears. He put the plate down on the bed, then knocked softly on the door. Without much thought, he opened the door, ready to for the steam to hit his face, but it never did. Instead he felt icy air filling the room, he felt his chest clench around his heart at what he saw.

Kuroko was laying in the shower, hugging his knees. His skin was bright pink, and definitely sore. Kise immediately made his way over to his beloved teal-head, he checked his pulse before he got some towels to dry him off with before he took care of the shower. He then hurriedly got a first-aid kit from one of the drawers of the nightstand then got a bottle of water from the refrigerator.

"Kurokocchi, please have something to drink" He muttered, brushing his fingers gently against Kuroko's cheek. He then pulled the cold, smaller teen onto his lap before he put the bottle to his lips. Kuroko responded well, he took a few, tiny sips of water before an adorable sneeze interrupted. He then snuggled closer to Kise's warmth. Kise felt a flutter in his chest, was Kuroko accepting him? He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips as he put the bottle away. He laid Kuroko back down to get a proper look on his many wounds, it was indeed just as he feared. That shower hadn't done those wounds, they were leaking fluids. He quickly started treating them carefully, when suddenly the teal-head jerked away. It seemed he still had doubts about this after all. Kuroko hid by the sink, fear clearly evident on his face. Kise couldn't help, but to feel shocked at how fast he got there with that cold body of his.

"Kurokocchi, you need to let me treat your wounds, or it's only going to get worse" He kept a soft smile on his face, reaching out a hand to the teal-head.

Kuroko's face reverted back to his usual poker-face, he stared blankly at Kise's hand. He then let out a silent whimper, as he leant closer to the wall, it almost looked as if he tried to blend in with it. Kise felt sorry for having put him in this situation out of the blue like this, but his annoyance was far greater.

"Get over here, Tetsuya" He snarled, glaring at the shaking figure.

Kuroko leaned forward, slowly, before snatching the cloth Kise had used out of his hand. He then looked over at the disinfectant, Kise shoved it over along with the bottle of water with a sigh. This was better than no response at all. He watched as Kuroko twitched every time he pressed the cloth against his wounds, with soft whimpers escaping his lips for a while before he decided to wait in the main room.

He sat there for about half an hour or so, before he went back to get the teal-head who was obviously a bit shaky at the moment. Kise helped him into a white gown he borrowed from the trashes wardrobe, it would be easier for him to use that than normal clothes while they stayed here after all. In the end he had to carry the shaky lamb to the bed before he presented him with food, food which he showed no interest in.

"You need to eat Kurokocchi. You haven't eaten in about 48 hours, have you?" He spoke as softly as he could, but Kuroko only looked away. He sighed lightly as he pulled a vanilla candy out of his pocket, he then put it on a plate. "A tine appetizer~" He singsonged before kissing the teal-head's forehead softly.

Kuroko seemed to hesitate a bit, but ended up taking the candy in the end. His hands trembled as he unwrapped it and put it into his moist, tiny mouth. Kise watched him intently, as he sucked on the little candy, when the teal-head unexpectedly spoke up.

"Why?" His voice was hoarse and weak; he wasn't even looking at Kise when he asked.

"I love you" Kise relied immediately. Wait, was that what he was asking about? Maybe he was asking about the candy, though the answer would be the same. No, judging from Kuroko's clenched fist, that really was what he asked about. Kise let out a soft chuckle. "Do you remember the first thing you ever said to me?" He waited a bit, looking for any kind of reaction. Of course there was none. "'Why do you smile if you don't feel like it?' You asked me, I honestly got pissed. After all I lived my life believing that everything about me, my smile too was perfect. Even when it wasn't real, but before I could say anything, you were gone. Later when I joined the basketball team, you told me that my fake smile was lousy and that I really should work on it. I couldn't believe your guts." He looked over at Kuroko, who didn't even spare him a glance. "It was such a small thing, but it made me keep a close eye on you, after all I wanted to get back on you. Soon I noticed how hardworking and pure you were, and how Aomine clung to you like some disgusting parasite." He scoffed, as he peeled of one of the band aids on his hand.  
"Before I knew it I grew fond of you, and soon I felt jealous of Aomine who was able to be with you and see your smiles. I couldn't understand how you could choose him so easily, first I thought it was his skills. I tried so hard to get better, but of course that didn't really succeed…" He sighed heavily, he started feeling hopeless. "I crushed your best friend, I thought you'd lose interest in that filth if he lost interest in basketball, but you just went ahead and frikin' quit yourself! You never looked at me, never noticed me, not even after middle school. And when I asked you to join me you simply turned me down like someone selling buttons at your door! I thought that since you'd found your love for the sport, you could love it with me, but you found someone else! Someone who was way worse than me, someone who wasn't even close to being worthy of you! I-" He stopped short as he noticed the terrified look on Kuroko's face. He silently stood up, taking the untouched food away. He then grabbed Kuroko's arm, forcefully dragging him into the bathroom. He grabbed the toothbrush from the sink, got toothpaste on it.

"Open your mouth for me, don't be scared, Kurokocchi~" He mumbled, trying to stay as calm as possible. Seeing as he got no reaction except for a small twitch from the teal-head, he put the handle of the toothbrush into his mouth. Then he grabbed the smaller teen's throat as he pushed him against the wall. He used the other hand to force his mouth open before he released the pressure on his throat a bit. He ignored the couching and the nails sinking into his arm, instead focusing on brushing the teal-head's teeth alone. It was a nice thing to see, how he instinctively moved his tongue to the toothbrush. As if making sure that the object wasn't switched out.

As soon as that was done and he had put everything away, he put clean sheets on the bed, leaving Kuroko to his thoughts for a few minutes. The wounds on Kuroko's body showed up in his thoughts repeatedly and he was now regretting his previous actions more than ever. Not that he would be able to actually hold himself back at the time, nor ever, when it came to his loved one his feeling was just too strong. Because of that he now had to wait, after all he didn't want to ruin his poor body.

He heaved yet another sigh as he got Kuroko, who wasn't making a single move. He carried him to bed again, put him on the bed as carefully as he could before wrapping the blanket around him. He softly put his fingers to Kuroko's lips, as he whispered 'open' in the gentles voice he could muster. He couldn't help but to feel incredibly blessed when Kuroko, although hesitating, did as he was told. Kise slipped his fingers in, playing with the hot, moist tongue. It seemed he wouldn't be able to hold back after all.

Now that Kuroko was his, it seemed he was going to _**BREAK HIM.**_

 _ **AFTER ALL, "I LOVE YOU THE MOST"**_

 **~ -* (~'.o.)~ * - ~**

… **So.. What do you guys think? ouo''' I hope the fact that this was longr than the other chapters kinda made it up to you, tho it shouldn't really justify anything xD Again, I hope you enjoyed!  
Aaaaaaand, I've got a tiny request cx Could you guys kindly vote for your favorite and least favorite out of these?**

 **Kirisaki Daīchi, Shūtoku or Kaijō**

 **Kiyoshi, Kasamatsu or Haizaki**

 **Tatsuya or Takao (basically just vote for your favorite one here)**

 **Hope it's okay for me to ask this of you~ =w=  
And thanks beforehand! cx  
Oh! And, please leave a review, it helps me get over my writers block x3 xD**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm soooooo sorry that it took so long, and thanks for understanding and being patient! I finally got around to writing this chapter, kind of had to lock myself in my bedroom to finish it xD So! I hope you enjoy cx**

Eight days. That's the amount of time that had passed since Kagami last saw his team mate. His best friend. He had barely slept since then, as he spent all his nights grumbling on ways to find him or how he could've prevented this. If he could. Classes was tiresome now that he actually had to pay attention, after all he could at least try to write understandable notes for Kuroko. Though he couldn't make any promises about that.

Now the police had been involved for about five days. Maybe six? And he had been talked about on the news. It annoyed Kagami how so much attention was brought to it, yet so little had been done. As if that wasn't enough, he had practically been deemed dead. Now his desk had a plain picture of him on it along with a bunch of flowers and a tiny candle. Now, everybody suddenly seemed to know so much about him and care. How annoying.

They were still training after school, and Riko pushed them harder than ever. Kagami was relatively ok with that. After all that was how she seemed to deal with her feelings, and it help the team getting their thoughts on something else. Though Kagami still turned around expecting him to be there at times, that was a pretty certain way to ruin the rest of his day.

The rest of the day, better known as his free time, went to the whole "investigation"-thing. Not that he felt like they were getting anywhere. Everyone kept giving the small amount of information they had, even the useless things, to Akashi who sat down with his laptop all day. Doing whatever it was he was supposed to do. Akashi almost seemed to know everything, but wouldn't share anything with anyone. The only one he'd told anything was Momoi, but even she didn't seem to know all that much. Kagami honestly felt like he was hiding way too much, and according to the rest of his team, he wasn't the only one. Why wouldn't he share anything with them? Didn't he trust them? Was he responsible for any of thi- No, he wasn't. And it was wrong to think that for the slightest second.

After a small trip at the convenience store he took his time to return to that empty apartment, just walking around in random streets. He would go to a street court to dribble a bit, but that could disturb people living close by. So in the end, that was out of the question.

Kagami rubbed the back of his head, heaving a sigh as he did so. What he needed now was a place to think, but when he found such a place all he could find out was just how foggy and messy his thoughts were. It was impossible to make any sense of any of them.

That was when the familiar tone rang out, signalling that he got a new message. At first Kagami got incredible annoyed, who would want to chat in the middle of the night like this? It would definitely have woken him up if he was asleep. Then again, it's not like he was asleep.

Then it hit him. What if it was Kuroko? Who else would send some random message in the middle of the night like this? He quickly fished his phone out of his back pocket, and quickly checked his notifications.

Akashi. The sender of the message was Akashi, what the heck? An address and the words "Knowledge is power, use it wisely. Be cautious, do not bring too many with you"

Wait, so.. What? He was supposed to go there? Would he find Kuroko there?

 **~ -* (~OuO)~ * - ~**

It was a beautiful morning. Without anything like windows he couldn't actually see the sun shining brightly, nor could he feel the gentle breeze, but he was sure about it. Kise spent the beginning of his morning caressing the smaller teens slender body, planting numerous kisses on the tender pale skin of his nape. Burying his face in the crook of his neck. Pulling him closer in a tight embrace.

He was aware of Kuroko's body growing tenser and tenser as time went by, as his hand brushed over new places. Every now and then he even held his breath. Kise couldn't help, but let out a chuckle. It was as if Kuroko was a tiny bunny, trying desperately to find somewhere to run. Even though it was obviously in vain. Here, there is nowhere to run.

Kuroko obviously knew that. The last few of days he had been incredibly passive, he barely moved. Didn't speak a word. Didn't even as much as look at any food, completely ignoring his hunger even though it was so obvious. Keeping that uncaring look on his face, he barely even looked at Kise.

Even though this was incredibly nice, it was a Kuroko he had never seen. It still wasn't what he wanted. It wasn't enough. He wanted to see Kuroko's face filled with incredible feelings of all kinds. Most of all, covered in tears. It was weird, he never thought he wanted to see that before, but now. Now, he just wanted to see that pale, doll-like face covered in tears of pain and fear. Maybe he was a tiny bit of a sadist?

Suddenly, the oh-so-familiar melody rung out, jerking Kise out of his little daze-like state. He growled slightly, forcing himself to get up and out of bed. This was definitely the worst part of any day, leaving Kuroko. He really didn't feel like it, but he had to. Just for a while longer.

He was quick to gather his clothes from the floor. Made sure that he had everything before planting a light kiss on the bluenette's forehead. It was kind of cute how he jerked away and pulled the blanket over his head. He then made his way to the door, glancing at the bluenette before unlocking it. Even so he didn't realize. Didn't realize that the bluenette wasn't under that bundle of a blanket. Didn't realize that he was standing right behind him. The book, Kise had kindly picked out for him, at hand.

Just as he'd opened the door wide enough to step out he felt the hard side of the book slam against his jaw, causing him to lose his balance. He was barely able to see the bluenette slip through the doorway before the door slammed shut. He felt the dread grow inside him as he stumbled back to his feet. It seemed to take forever to get the key into the goddamn hole. When he was finally able to unlock the fucking door he didn't waste time to get out and locate the smaller teen.

Luckily he hadn't gotten very far. He was merely making his way up the stairs, with obvious problems. Kise felt a slight relief, making way for the fury boiling in his veins. It didn't take much effort to catch up with him, some quick steps and he could make his way ahead of the bluenette.

He grabbed Kuroko's blue strands of hair keeping him from falling. Or running. He stared into those blue eyes, filled with terror. It was quite a nice look. Even so, it didn't lessen the anger.

"Why Kurokocchi?" He questioned, glaring at the petrified bluenette. "Why are you trying to leave me?" He raised the hand in which he had a handful of the blue hair in, gripping it tighter. Getting a small whimper from the smaller teen. He didn't really want to leave, right? This was just an impulsive act, right? **Right?!** "There is nothing out there for you! Do you hear me?! Nothing!" He growled out, jerking the teal-head closer. He had to make sure he understood. "Those parents of yours have thrown you aside, they won't even notice you're gone! And your brother is only by your side because it's his responsibility. He doesn't even know you!" He continued, raising his voice louder and louder. There had to be something he could do to prevent this from happening again. Knowing that Kuroko was stubborn, he really had to do something.

"..wrong" The bluenette spoke in a weak, trembling voice, finally letting those tears fall.

"I'm not wrong!" Kise yelled out, kicking Kuroko's knee without thinking about it. "You've got to be blind not to see it Kurokocchi! No one needs you out there, not even those team mates of yours! The only reason they even know you is because you were to be useful to them! And you know it!" He added, kicking Kuroko's knee in repeatedly, making him scream louder each time.

Kuroko struggled to get away until Kise finally lost his grip, sending Kuroko tumbling down the stairs. Kise didn't move a muscle, he merely watched as Kuroko reached the bottom of the stairs, his whole body trembling. He pushed himself up from the ground. Wasted some time staring at that leg of his in, what could seem like disbelief. Soon he tried to crawl away, not letting the leg stop him. Something else entirely would do that. It happened quickly, as soon as Kuroko's eyes fell on 'them' his whole body froze.

"They were in the way" Kise muttered, as he now made his way down the stairs. "They deserved it." He chuckled, as he approached the bluenette.

After that Kuroko had a hard time breathing, throwing up didn't help his situation much. He didn't struggle much when Kise put him back into the room, just a few weak attempts which he gave up on quite quickly. He only repeated the word "Why".

That was a few days ago now. Since then Kise had to take certain precautions and pay more attention to his beloved one's actions. Kuroko stopped moving at all. Stopped paying attention to anything too, and hasn't made a sound since. It was truly bothersome.

Kise started humming unconsciously, as he made his way down the dark, nearly empty streets. How was he supposed to help it when he was this happy? He hoisted the bag onto his shoulder. The low sound of plastic rustling reaching his ears. It was too bad that he had to do this kind of thing, just as they got back to japan. Then again, they really did want to reunite with him. And he had to get rid of Kuroko's 'place' to return to properly. With this everything was ready, they'd be able to leave in a couple of days.

He couldn't help, but to wonder how Kuroko would react. Would he scream? Would he cry? Would he get angry? Or maybe sad? Or maybe he'd be happy to reunite with them? Kise let out a chuckle, he really looked forward to this. Maybe he would get to see a completely new Kurokocchi~

"Ryouta" A cold voice sounded, pulling Kise out of his thoughts.

Kise looked up only to see him, why did it have to be him? "..Akashicchi, what are you doing out at a time like this?"

 **~ -* (~O3O)~ * - ~**

Silence. Normally Kuroko would love indulging himself in silence, preferably with a nice book. However, not now. Even though it was rare, and directly a precious occasion, for him to be able to be alone in this godforsaken room. Kuroko stared blankly down at his pale, scraped up hands. His body was sticky and sore, and everything was itchy. His spirit, not much better.

His uncontrollably annoying hair was impossible to get away from his eyes, brushing against them. Making them irritable, with a plague-like burning itch. At this point he was sure he'd claw away all skin around them, probably his eyes at some point too.

What did he possible do to end up in this situation? Why did Kise- Well, that he already knew. Still, he couldn't help, but to wonder. What exactly drove Kise to this? -And to what reason did he do that to them, his own family.

They were- their bodies were laying in a bloody mess. They had clearly been there for a while, but one could still clearly see their features. And how their eyes were nothing more than bloody, mushy holes.

Was this really Kise? Kise who was, although annoying, a flashy, loud and most importantly friendly guy. He is, or was, a guy who would always be smiling, if he wasn't in the middle of his childish tantrums. What happened to that Kise? Where did he go? Did that guy ever really exist? Maybe it was- No, it was definitely all his fault. Kuroko was the cause of it, or else this wouldn't be happening. Maybe this was some sort of revenge.

He clutched the, once again, dirty blanket that laid spread across his lap. There was no way out. The door had an automatic lock. Kise watched him like a Hawk, he even chained him to the bed. Now he was too hungry and dizzy to even try to find a way anymore.

How long had he even been here? One week? Maybe a month? There was no way to know without any clock, or daylight. He wanted to get out. He wanted to get back to their side. Did they notice his absence? Was he missed? Did they look for hi-

 _ **(They don't need you anymore~)**_

He said that, but that didn't matter. They're all his precious-

 _ **(The only reason they even know you is because you**_ _ **were**_ _ **useful for them. You know that!)**_

..That's true, but they're-!

 _ **(They're not your friends!)**_

-But they are! They're most definitely his important friends, aren't they?

They- they've spent so much time together and.. And.. They mean so much to him.. Does he hold the same, no. Any place in their hearts..

Do they care.?

 _ **(They don't have anything urging them on, they'll give you up soon enough. They all know it's not worth it…)**_

That's- that's true, isn't it?

No! It can't be! They- they..

What if it is true, that he is merely another bother. His absence is probably a blessing for them..

That's right.. They don't need him. He's in the way. It's better if he never returns.

It'd be better to disappear entirely, right?

…..

Kuroko rested his head in his sore palms, clutching his messy hair. "Then why do I still have this hope.?" He felt warm tears running down his cold cheeks, did he even have any right to feel this way?

 **~ -* (~'3')~ * - ~**

 **Thanks again for being so understanding and patient. And sorry again for taking so long xD It may sound cold, but some good stuff came out of the bad stuff that happened, I got to observe trauma and depression properly so I hope that can help making this story more enjoyable.**

 **A funny thing that happened though, weeks ago when I was first planning this chapter. I asked my mother, who's a health worker-thingy, about trauma. Then I proceeded to ask about different ways to damage one's knee. She stared at me for a good amount of time, glancing at my knee once in a while. Then asked, in the most serious tone ever. "What the hell are you planning this time?" I'm positive she thinks I'm crazy now xD**

 **Anyway! Thanks for the reviews and to those who voted, it'll be of great help in later chapters cx I hope you enjoyed, and please review~! cx**


	7. Chapter 7

**Allright! Finally after… Months, I think.. I've finished a new chapter! SO SORRY! Well, this is kinda just half of it, but I'll promise to finish the next part within next two weeks or so cx I've already planned the whole thing, so it shouldn't be too hard to do that, hopefully xD Anyway, thanks soooo much for the votes, the results are;**

 **KagaKuro - 8**

 **AoKuro - 6**

 **KiKuro - 8**

 **Akakuro - 1**

 **I'm worrying I might've miscounted, because I can't really concentrate with super heat and period cramps.. But I think that's it, having counted with pms and older reviews from 'guests' cx So with KiKuro and KagaKuro being tied, I've kind of decided to go with what I recently noticed that I've been leaning toward! cx It was stupid of me not to notice, but I kind wonder if you guys have noticed so I won't say what pairing it is xP Thos I feel like it was easy to see, and that I'm just an idiot not to have noticed X'D**

 **Anway! Please enjoy cx And please tell me what you think, I kinda tried a different approach for a part of it so, I look forward to see what you think cx**

As to when it started, he was not certain. At first, that guy was nothing but an insignificant existence to him. He was merely there, by their teammates' side. Practically impossible to notice. He could honestly say he was constantly annoyed with him in the beginning. He thought he was just a random person clinging to Aomine and the rest out of convenience or something. A random guy with a bit too much of a confident attitude, always listening or dropping random, extremely blunt comments. When they told him he was a part of first string it he was shocked, nothing could really convince him of that. However, when he first saw, no, he didn't really see anything- When he first experienced his skills, millions of unexplainable feelings blew him over, it was way better than seeing Aomine's plays. He could barely believe he existed.

Soon Kise noticed how he couldn't take his eyes off the guy, which was hard, as he kept disappearing at random times. Kise quickly understood that he didn't really need to see him to know where he went, knowing where Aomine were was more than enough. He realized what a hard working guy Kuroko was, how he worked harder than anyone to be able to fully enjoy what he loved. How Kuroko would answer honestly, even though he paid little mind to how blunt he was. He stayed true to himself, and those around him. Most importantly he noticed just how obvious he could be to danger, however threatening a situation was he would easily, or just unknowingly, brush it off.

As time went by it became increasingly harder to keep his eyes off him, keep his thoughts from going astray, to stay away from him. In the end he couldn't help, but to be a tiny bit clingy. He found himself incredibly fond of him, wanting to know more about him. All in all, he felt genuinely curious about the shadow, at least that was how he thought he felt.

However, as he watched Kuroko interact with their teammates countless times, he could feel an incredibly warm, stingy feeling building up in his chest. As time went by the feeling grew more and more painful, spreading out through his body. In the beginning Kise was unsure as to why he felt that way, then he realized exactly what had him going through that torture. They were all being too friendly with him, too chatty. Touching him too much.

Aomine was the worst. He got reactions from Kuroko too easily, he always had him by his side. It was truly despicable.

Kuroko was better off by Kise's side. Kise would always give him the smiles and encouragement he'd need, and he'd always be by his side, unlike Aomine. Kise wanted to stay close to Kuroko, if he'd let the other's do as they'd like he'd get less time with him, he'd see less of him. Kise was happy to have realized his feelings, even though Kuroko didn't show much affection towards him, he was happy just being by his side.

However, that changed quickly. That morning, when he met up for training those words were thrown into his face. "Kuroko quit basketball". At that moment he lost the only thing connecting him and Kuroko, his only reason to stay by his side. And it was **all Aomine's fault.** He who neglected him, pushed useless feelings onto him, (…). And he who was the main reason Kuroko's love for basketball crumbled.

Kise could feel his damned hatred for Aomine, grow each time he saw him. He wanted to hit him, kick him, **bash his head in.** However, he didn't. He couldn't. He was too scared. What a wuss he used to be.

Instead he tried to keep close to Kuroko, who kept avoiding him and everyone from the team. In the end it didn't work out, Kuroko wouldn't pay him any mind. The only one who could reach him was probably the bastard Aomine, but he'd never bother with that. Which is why Kise decided once and for all to become better than Aomine and become Kuroko's new light. His new source of liveliness and love. That didn't really work out though, did it? No.

Even though Kise did his best, found a good school, where none of the other members of their former teammates were, to have the slightest chance of ending up on the same school as Kuroko. He didn't. Instead he found Kuroko on a piss poor, stupid school. With new, stupid, weak, unsuitable teammates. And of course his new light, whom wasn't much better. Reminded him of Aomine at first, to be honest. It really sucked.

With such a useless team, Kise had thought that he'd have a chance to get Kuroko with him over to his school. After all, Kise would be a much better light for him than the bastard with stupid, split eyebrows. And the team at Kaijo was, in general, waaay better than "seirin". Kise was, for a moment, convinced of it being a matter of money. Which he, of course, would be glad to help out with. However, Kuroko wouldn't move on to another team, he was already loyal to his new teammates. And light. It didn't matter how much Kise begged for him to come with him.

 **It was truly hard to keep a cool smile on his face. That day really sucked.**

When Kuroko kept declining, Kise had started feeling desperate. He ended up inviting them to a practice game, in hope of convincing Kuroko to join him, by crushing his useless little team. That, as well, did not end as planned. After all Kuroko didn't waver all that easily, still, that was one of the many things he loved about.

However, it wasn't all in wain. He discovered a new side of himself, when he hurt Kuroko. Accidentally, of course. Although he felt terribly bad about it at first, it sent an exciting shrill running down his spine. At that day all those "fluffy", "innocent" fantasies of simple things, like sharing small kisses and holding hands on a cold winter's eve, they were all overwritten by a new found, sparkling interest.

He realized he wanted to see more of that. To hit him, just one more time. Hurt him. Like that he'd be able to break down all Kuroko's walls, he'd get to see all those unseen expressions and hidden feelings. He could break Kuroko down completely, and make the shadow become his alone.

After that, all the money Kise made as a model went to the preparations he had to make. He wanted to take Kuroko away from Japan, away from those bastards clinging onto him, but he knew Kuroko wouldn't leave them behind willingly. He was too good a guy for that.

For a while after that things went smoothly, Kise gained money and used them for all kinds of preparations. Mostly fixing up a rarely used guestroom in their cellar. Most was small stuff, like creating a time limit for the oven placed there. At that time, he could already imagine Kuroko boiling eggs there, enjoying himself to the fullest. Other than fixing the oven he got a bigger shower to use together with his beloved one, and a better door with an automatic lock system. On top of it all he had quite a few security things, he'd never really understand, installed which would send updates to his phone whenever anything was opened or used.

He used the little bit of free time he had after all basketball training and work, to catch a glance of the bluenette. Getting a few nice shots too, if the chance would present itself. To begin with it wasn't all that easy, as he'd never get to see Kuroko's bedroom. Which was where he spent most his time, doing homework, reading or maybe doing something more- Entertaining.. Kise was truly lucky when he, on a faithful day, came by some middle schoolers running around, climbing walls with these parkour-techniques, or whatever it was called. Which quickly gave Kise new ideas, which of course, came in handy incredibly fast with his talent for copying.

From that point on, his life was pure- Well, nearly, pure bliss. He spent as much time as he possibly could by Kuroko's side, not directly though. It was too hard to find an excuse to hang with him without their former team to connect them. He got to see more when merely observing him anyway. Sometimes he'd enter the bluenette's room, when he was busy with training and such. He'd borrow the tiniest things from the bluenette when he did, anything from a picture to underwear, he was conceited. Even though he often wanted to kill all the clingy bastards around Kuroko, who dared to touch him so casually.

He especially wanted to kill Aomine when he beat Kuroko's team. Not because he beat them of course, they had all the right in the world to be better than Kuroko's team. What angered him was Kuroko's reaction, because he knew it wasn't purely because of the loss, but also about his feelings for the lazy bastard. How much he cared about him, how much he wanted to make him happy. How that guy was pretty much the only person he truly paid attention to. It wrenched Kise's inside to witness it, to get those feelings slammed into his face. He couldn't forgive it.

Kise spent most his days after that grumbling, doing his best to hide it when he had to socialize. With his bad mood came more trouble, trouble that he couldn't really handle. Just waiting, lurking within the four walls of his own home. Months had passed when he came upon a hindrance of a sort. He had just returned home, after watching his angel falling asleep, it happened rather fast tonight. All the lights were off in the house, except for those in their living room. Where they had been sitting, waiting.

"Ryouta.." His mother looked up at him with a look of, what could only be described as, despair in his eyes.

"We need to talk" His father didn't even as much as look at him as he gave his "orders". Judging him.

Kise immediately knew that he'd been too lazy, felt too comfortable. Those two were rarely home. And never together, only when showing off at social gatherings and such, never for family. Never for him. And now they had gotten together to "talk". How annoying.

"There's nothing to talk about" He muttered, a stiff smile planted across his face. His chest felt like it was clenching around his heart and lungs, making it hard to both breathe and keep a 'calm' look.

"Ryouta.. Mommy- No. We, have noticed that you haven't been yourself lately and-" She averted her gaze, a weak smile on her lips.

"You need help" His father's stern voice cut her off.

Kise couldn't help, but letting his overly fake smile fade. He had never been good at standing tall under the geezer's glare.

"Now, now-" She spoke up once again as soon as she saw her son's reaction, she had always been a softie. No good with serious matters. She was fiddling her thumbs, probably to distract herself.

"Oh, shut it. You know the boy needs help, you've seen his room! It's not normal to be that obsessed with anyone, much less another guy!"

Hearing those words something snapped inside Kise. It wasn't a bad thing, on the contrary it was actually exactly what he needed. What he needed to step up and take action.

It felt like an eternity from the moment he had grabbed the stone figure on the shelf, to the moment it hit his father's skull. He felt a suffocating, burning feeling rush throughout his body as he threw the older man to the floor. Holding him down by his throat he bashed the figure to his head over and over again, until his eyes turned completely emotionless. He couldn't help, but to laugh at the sight. It felt like a burden was lifted from his shoulders. Such a glorious feeling spreading throughout his body. "You're wrong" He whispered, looking up at his mother, who was shaking like an abandoned puppy. "it's love" He smiled innocently as the words left his mouth. To this day he still felt like they really deserved to die. They knew nothing of love, they only knew how to do things out of convenience and simplicity.

Of course he didn't kill his mother off immediately, he had things he wanted to test out on her. Nothing much, just a tiny little, simple mind trick. He tied her to a chair in the cellar, with the corpse of her life-long partner laying by her feet. He let her sit there alone in the bitter dark, crying out for three days before he finally entered the stinking basement to keep her "company". There, he sat for hours repeatedly accusing her of murdering the man by her feet. To begin with, she didn't react much to that. She'd only plead for him to stop his "madness", to let her go and be a "good boy". However, as hours passed and she grew tired she started denying his accusations, each time fiercer than the last. Kise felt honored to find that the little trick was working, soon she would accuse him of lying if he said she was innocent. She'd apologize again and again for having killed him, saying she didn't mean to. After seventy hours she had even developed an own scenario of how it happened. That was when her usefulness was over, when he slit her throat and left her to rot with her make-believe love.

For whatever it was worth, Kise had never been happier. His recent actions had rid him of, not only, limitations, but the need to be cautious too. And he was also able to observe and verify just how weak and easily manipulated a human mind was. He could barely wait for the time to come, when he'd get to act it out with his beloved one, if needed that is.

He'd continue to be happy if it wasn't for one stupid blunder. That one night he stayed in the shadow's place for too long and had to jump start everything even though all the preparations wasn't ready, even though he couldn't take him out of japan.

For the days to come he couldn't help, but to force himself onto the bluenette, penetrate him over and over and repeat words of affection into his ears. He'd indulge himself in the shadow's warmth as much as he could, enjoying his time with him as much as he could. Even though Kuroko tried to leave, that was an easy matter to take care of, hurting his leg a little was all it took. It was tonight was the true hardships came. After having paid Kuroko's beloved parents a visit. He had come face to face to Akashi, in otherwise empty streets.

"Ryouta" That menacing voice sent shivers down Kise's spine, but didn't make him feel half as scared as looking at the one it came from.

"..Akashicchi, what are you doing out at a time like this?" He asked, trying to keep a smile on his face. It wasn't his best one, Akashi could probably see the annoyance in his face. Hopefully not his uncertainty.

"This evening I planned to let Mr. and Mrs. Kuroko get some rest before I went over to discuss the current situation. However, it turns out my plans didn't go as expected." The red heads voice was almost soft, almost soothing at the same time as it was stern and plainly terrifying. The small smile on his face didn't make it any better.

"You don't say.." Kise let his smile slip as he spoke up in a low voice. There was no reason to try hiding anything anymore, it was clear that Akashi knew all too much. That he was planning something. Kise did his best to stay aware of their surroundings, it was almost weird how only the two of them were there.

"The least I can do now is retrieve what you're got in that bag for Tetsuya. So, how do you want to do this? The easy way or the hard one? I could spare you of some pain, if you make the right choice." Akashi's smile faded too, it was soon replaced by an ice cold glare. He reached out his hand, as if he was betting for the 'easy' way.

Kise took a small step back, glaring back at the red head. He knew he couldn't take on Akashi. The air around Akashi gleaming with pure confidence and anger didn't make him feel any better about the situation. It would be impossible to hurt him before he himself would be hit to the ground or get a broken bone. He knew he couldn't run away from him either, even though Akashi was smaller he was unnaturally fast and most definitely had some tricks up his sleeve. However, it was still his safest bet, he would never take that demon head on. Kise was just about to get a move on Akashi's voice cut through the air once more.

"Atsushi." Kise force for the tiniest second, following Akashi's line of sight he found Murasakibara standing a mere six meters behind him.

"I'll crush you" Murasakibara growled out as he leaped toward him.

Kise immediately ducked away, before sprinting to the other side of the street. Luckily Murasakibara did not follow all the way, as Akashi had raised his hand he'd stopped. It almost looked like a dumb dog waiting for orders from its owner.

"Even if you are lucky enough to get away from us you will meet multiple armed police units waiting for you. Don't you think it's better to come calmly with us now?" Akashi smiled, a truly sadistic smile. It was obvious how much he was enjoying this.

Kise didn't really have to think about Akashi's words. He much preferred Armed violent people to the angry red head in front of him. It took him seconds to dash into an alleyway, he could immediately hear them both approaching him. It was then he decided to take a chance, he grabbed the gutter on the wall to hoist himself up far enough to get a hold of a windowsill. He was just about to kick himself further up when Murasakibara grabbed his foot. It wasn't a strong enough grip to be able to pull him down, but it limited his movements. Kise could feel the pressure building up in his body as Murasakibara tried to get a better hold. Kise immediately started kicking around, ultimately hitting Murasakibara with the bag to get away. Luckily Murasakibara lost his grip and so Kise could continue climbing up the wall, using the speed he got from kicking. Although he lost the bag it was worth it. He had to hurry up and get back to Kuroko.

 **~ -* (~O3O)~ * - ~**

Kagami held his phone to his ear restlessly. He had thought long and hard about it, but came to too many possible conclusions and decided to do the only thing that made sense. A click signalled the end of the beeping, immediately a panting voice could be heard on the other side of the line.

"What do you need, Taiga?" Kagami could practically hear the frown in his voice.

"What do I need? What the hell did you mean by the message, the whole 'knowledge, power, cautious' thing?" Kagami blabbered out, it took all he had not to raise his voice.

"I mean- Go retrieve Tetsuya-" Akashi's kept his sentences short, taking regular breaks to catch his breath. It sounded like he was running. "And take someone with you- Not too many, five at most- Understood?"

"Who the hell would that be?"

"Preferably Daiki- Who've known him for a while. Shintarou too. Because of his medical knowledge. One of the girls, to be safe. And one of your team mates because he trusts you guys." Kagami could hear Akashi take a deep breath, which he let out in a quick puff. "Just don't take Teppei, in case you need to run. His foot will get someone in trouble. Got it?" Akashi spoke faster and faster as if desperate for a break for air.

"Yeah, but-" Kagami didn't really want to force Akashi to talk anymore, but he had many more questions. First of all, why was Akashi running and why would they have to run? And exactly how much did the guy know? And why was he telling Kagami and not someone like Midorima or Momoi?

"Good. Atsushi, get over he-" Click. Aaand of course, Kagami didn't even get to ask. That might've been for the best though, now he'd get to Kuroko's side sooner.

 **So the story didn't really progress much in this chapter, but I hope it kinda gave a deeper insight on Kise's feelings.. In a way.. o3o'' Anyway, hope it was enjoyable cx**


	8. Chapter 8

**WOAH! I'M SO SORRY FOR TAKING SO MUCH TIME!**

 **Honestly I got no idea what happened, my normally dull summer turned into an eventful torture, filled with family time xD Then I had to move my stuff to my dorm and start school and, since I failed last year and had to start a whole new course it's been unexpectedly busy x3x Now I've settled down, and most of the big stuff is taken care of tho-**

 **Anyway! Thanks to all off you precious lovelies who've been patient enough to keep reading! Here comes a new chapter, I hope you'll enjoy! Cx  
And sadly, yes it's too late to vote, I've started on a road I can't really stray from, sorreh 'bout that mate q3q**

 _Knowledge is power he said. Yet he did not bother sharing any._

After Akashi hung up on him, Kagami took a second to get his head straight. Tonight, the time had finally arrived. The time to get Kuroko back. This is what Kagami had been waiting for, for several days, but now he felt strangely hesitant. He didn't really know what to expect, especially when thinking about the distressed voice, and the desperate words Kuroko uttered in that phone call. He didn't even want to start thinking about what state Kuroko was in, hopefully, he was ok. However, Kagami had a weird feeling telling him that was not what he should expect. That he should be prepared for the worst.

A loud smack could be heard, as Kagami hit both his cheeks as hard as he could in an attempt to pull himself out of those depressing thoughts. Normally, Kuroko would be responsible for that, but for now he'd have to make due. Truth to be told, it didn't work as well as he wanted it to. He still felt confused and extremely shitty, but at least he could concentrate a bit better and get some things done.

To say he was fast would be a lie, roughly three quarters went by while making calls, back and forth with everyone Akashi had mentioned. He had to call until they woke up, inform them and make sure they could meet. While he was in the middle of a call with one person another would call him for some reason or another. It was hell, how did Akashi ever have control of this uncoordinated group? Another hour went by when finding the address and actually getting there.

When he got to the strangely old-fashioned white, quite big house, everyone was there. Strange how he was the last to arrive, then again he was probably the only one who went there on foot. was flocking around Midorima, who was crouching by the door.

"What the hell are you guys doing?"

Was what Kagami wanted to say. However, he merely managed to let out a 'what' before being interrupted by a weak 'eep' from the pinkette, as Aomine had jerked around and put an arm in front of her in a protective manner. Aomine's stance seemed to somewhat fit better into one of those stories taking place in the middle ages, so dramatic with his stern look boosting the 'dark knight' kind of look. If Kagami hadn't felt so shitty on this looming evening he might've, no, he definitely would have laughed his ass off. It was kind of sad how he dropped the protective act, less than a second after realizing Kagami was the one behind them.

"What was that for?! How could you sneak up on us like that you brat?!" Riko practically roared out, but not before stomping over to him and smacking the back of his head as hard as she possibly could.

Kagami immediately began rubbing the back of his, now, throbbing head. "Oh, I'm sorry, next time I'll give a heads up before opening my mouth" He grumbled, offering a glare to the brunette. He couldn't care less about being polite at the moment, but he soon realized he'd come to regret that.

As his words had left his mouth he could see a wicked grin grow upon Riko's face, which immediately warped into one of her 'sweet' and 'charming' ones. "Are you feeling smart now, ka-ga-mi-kun~?" She sing-sang, giving him a 'friendly' pat on his shoulder, a looming, uneasy feeling descending upon him. "I guess a feeling of triumph is a good thing, maybe it'll give you some extra energy to get you through your bonus laps tomorrow~" She continued happily, gripping his shoulder tightly.

Yeah, he really shouldn't have said that. Never again.

"Bonus laps?" Well, fuck. Kagami could see Hyuuga put his palm to his face in what had to be frustration. To be fair, Kagami really wished he could smash his head against the door in front of him. Why the hell couldn't he learn to keep his goddamn mouth shut?

He could see a glint in Riko's eyes, making him realize just how much he'd screwed up. He could practically hear her calculating just how much more training he'd have to go through tomorrow, whatever she originally had in mind was now definitely quadrupled. He probably wouldn't be able to move his muscles in the near future.

"Can you two stop kicking such a fuss? You'll attract unwanted attention." Midorima cut in bitterly, thankfully before Riko had the opportunity to open her mouth.

Kagami couldn't help, but to glance around the group. There was something that obviously could get anyone's attention, so much easier. "Quite sure the colors of your hair are getting that done perfectly well for us." He muttered as he rubbed he shoulder, Riko just let go off, trying instinctively to make it look like he was merely giving it a light scratch.

"Not like you've really got any right to talk." Hyuuga said, before anyone else got the chance, Riko nodding beside him. For a brief moment Kagami wanted to retort, then he came to the realization that those two were the only ones with normal hair colors in this group.

Still, it's not like red is such an unnatural hair color, a lot of people end up coloring their hair red at some point in their life. It's not nearly as rare as green! Kagami looked over at Midorima, sitting there, as if he was in some kind of different world. Then he remembered, he never really got to ask what they were up to earlier. "So.. What are you even doing?" He questioned, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

Immediately the air seemed to freeze around the group, and everyone seemed to stiffen up a bit.

Only Midorima seemed unchanged as he took a hold of the handle of the door and stood up. "We needed a way inside" He said, looking at Kagami as if he was stupid, before opening the door.

Kagami was stayed behind for a couple of seconds as the rest of the group stepped inside. He was in all honesty a bit confused, then it came to him. Midorima had been crouching in front of the door all this time after all. "Did you pick the lock?" He exclaimed as he caught up with the rest of the group, he made sure to close the door behind him. Midorima simply nodded in acknowledgement, giving Kagami no more attention than needed. "How do you even know how to do that?"

"I thought it might come in handy, so I looked it up" Midorima said nonchalantly as he pushed his glasses to a more comfortable position upon his nose.

The question why still lingered in Kagami's head though. Like, what kind of future was that guy even imagining for himself, for that to be useful? He shook his head slightly, deciding to just leave it be. He knew that guy was weird, and it wasn't like it was any of Kagami's business. Although, he could honestly admit, he was curious about what was going on in any of the 'miracles' minds. They were all so- so.. Special, maybe?

"Wait," Momoi spoke up, making the whole group come to a stop. "Shouldn't we make a plan, or at least make some decisions before proceeding?" She said, a soft, yet obviously bothered, smile on her face. Being met with silence from the small group, she continued. "I mean, won't it be kind of unproductive, with everyone moving around, doing as they like? Akashi sending us here happened quite sudden, so it would be wise to think that we don't have all that much time." Getting some understanding nods, she smiled warmly.

"It would be for the best that if we were to split into pairs and appoint different locations" Riko commented, smiling confidently as she put her hands on her hips.

"You really are smart, for having such small breasts" Momoi retorted, giving off the air of superiority as she puffed out her chest ever so slightly.

Riko gave her a cold glare, seemingly ready to jump at the pinkette's throat, if any chance were to present itself. Weirdly enough, the air seemed to become a bit warmer, making everyone able to relax a bit.

Joking, and murderous intent aside, they decided to make decisions through rock, paper, scissor. And so, after seven rounds it was decided that Hyuuga and Riko, Momoi and Midorima and Kagami and Aomine would be moving together. After five more rounds Riko and Hyuuga got the task to stay by the entrance, in case anyone, unwelcome, was to show up. Midorima and Momoi were to clear the first floor, while Kagami and Aomine got the second floor.

As much as Kagami hated spending time near Aomine, it was in all honesty worth it as long as they could get Kuroko back. Especially if whoever responsible would get what they deserve, nothing short of a life sentence, of course.

As soon as they got to the second floor, they saw a living room. Kagami was sure he saw one on the first floor too, a bigger one at that. These people couldn't be lacking money, at least. As Aomine turned on the light and moved further inside the living room, Kagami chose to move on to the closest door. It turned out to be a tiny storeroom, filled to the brim with loads of different things. Things like, winter clothes, shoes and loads of bags and boxes. Nothing suspicious, really. He decided to leave that be and look for something more.. Useful. As he walked further into the living room it became awfully obvious that this room was rarely used, the floor and everything else, except for what Aomine had touched, was covered in a thick layer of dust. The amount of dust in the air alone made it kind of hard to breathe.

He noted that the first floor seemed to be kept in a much better state, he had hardly noticed any dust down there.

On a closer look Kagami noticed that there was a certain trail with a thinner, and looser layer of dust leading to a door on the left side of the room. Going there, what he found was nothing more than a bathroom. A bathroom filled with beauty products at that. There was no way a woman stood behind Kuroko's disappearance, was there? It couldn't be, although he had gained some popularity through the winter cup it wasn't like basketball was all that popular among women. Maybe Akashi had been mista- Ah, no. Of course not, there was no way. Finishing that thought was a sure way to be cursed, Akashi would surely come to know that thought had crossed his mind.

A door being closed pulled Kagami out of his, soon to become, disturbing thoughts. Looking behind him he saw Aomine standing by a door on the other side of the room.

"Found anything?" Kagami asked, a tiny hope blooming in his chest.

"Nah, some old guy's bedroom, haven't been in use for a while, so there wasn't really much to see, except for dust." Aomine said, heaving a low sigh, as he lazily made his way over to a third door. He brushed off any chance for a conversation, though Kagami couldn't judge him. He looked awfully tired, and irritated to top it off. Aomine had to be just as disappointed about working with Kagami, as the redhead was with him.

Kagami decided to move over to a fourth, and last, door of the floor. At least from the looks of it. His nose felt itchy for every step he took, every movement sending more dust into the air around him. Even though they had just been here for a little while, Kagami's heart felt like it dropped. It all seemed impossible, it didn't seem plausible for Kuroko to turn up behind any doors here, or anywhere at all.

Kagami shook his head violently, trying hard to think more positively. The next door would give him something, anything to go on. He was sure of it! As Kagami's hand came closer to the door knob he felt hope, once again lighting up in his chest. He felt his hand staring to shake, as a tiny bit of excitement rose up in his chest. He put his hand on the door knob, took a shaky breath. He tightened his hold on the knob a tiny bit as he was about to open it and get it out of his way when.

"HAAAAH-!" Aomine practically screamed out.

"AAAAH!" Kagami shouted instinctively. Forgetting about the door, he immediately turned around to see Aomine look back at him. Grinning. Evilly. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!" Kagami barked out, clenching his fists.

"Aah~ I thought I was gonna sneeze.. Now my nose hurts.." Aomine said, shrugging it off.

Sneeze my ass! How the fuck does sneeze lead to fucking screaming?! It had to be on purpose. That goddamn bastard!

"Sneeze my ass.." Kagami grumbled angrily, turning his attention back to the door.

Now, the whole 'good' feeling was completely gone, Kagami continued his silent grumbling as he once again gripped the handle. Opening the door, he was faced with complete darkness, no natural light from any windows streaming inn. He brushed his hand around the wall on the left side of the door in search for a light switch, finding nothing he moved on to the other side. Patting up and down, he indeed found a switch. Pressing it, the light blinked a couple of times until- There. Nothing could prepare Kagami for the sight that met him.

"Uh- Uhm.. Tha-" Kagami had a hard time finding words for this, creepy sight. Aomine noticing this came over, casually asking what it was. He too, came to a shocked stop.

There they stood, staring at a room, all walls- No all surfaces, filled with pictures of Kuroko. There was so many that they kept overlapping each other.

Kagami took a couple of steps inside, Aomine following close behind. He looked around, slowly, taking in every detail. The only thing in this room, not covered in, well- Kuroko, was a lone bed in a corner. Even the floor was covered in pictures, any other person on the pictures had either been covered or scraped out.

All in all, it kinda seemed Kagami had been right about this room. Akashi had been right, Kuroko had to be somewhere in this house.

"What the hell.." Aomine muttered, in some kind of mix between amazement and menace.

"..I know" Kagami breathed out, his eyes still glued on the walls in front of him.

There they stood in shock, but not for too long. For a scream from down stairs jerked them out of their trance. A scream from Momoi.

"Satsuki-!" Aomine gasped out as he ran downstairs.

 **So.. Sadly that's it for now, tho I've started writing the next chapter- I'm sorry, I know my words doesn't really count for anything, though I'll try posting the next chapter soon! xD**

 **However, we are building stuff at home, so my free weekends have kinda been robbed from me q3q Tho it's funny to see my brother and father interact when I'm there to help, they are really scared of swearing. They think I'm so innocent xD**

 **Anyway! Thanks so much for reading 'till now, and please leave a review and tell me what you think~ cx I'll hurry, and do my best not to be too slow xD**


	9. Chapter 9

**I know it isn't like me, buuuut-! Here's a new chapter! cx Hopefully it'll make up for the times I've been extremely slow- At least a little.. xD**

 **Anyway! Hope you enjoy! cx**

Kuroko woke up to a loud sound, sending a violent jerk throughout his aching body. What the sound was he didn't know. He figured the walls probably muffled it enough for it to be hard to recognize, then there was the constant ringing going on in his head to consider. He decided it would be for the best to ignore it, despite his heart beating like crazy.

He just hoped he'd be able to go back to sleep, or at least get the chance to rest a bit more. This was probably the first time in days, or maybe weeks, that he'd actually managed to fall asleep. Even as tired and utterly exhausted he was. It seemed, one could only wake up to being choked that many times before fearing sleep itself.

He tried closing his burning eyes once more, loud thumping noises immediately ruining his 'peace and quiet'. He laid still. Simply listening for a while. Footsteps. That had to be it. Multiple people seemed to be running around, but why?

A chill of dread ran down his spine as the horrifying realization came to him. The sound which woke him up, it had to be a scream. Did Kise hurt someone? Did he kill someone else?

No- That couldn't be it, Kise wouldn't possibly take such a risk. There were too many people in the building, if he was right about the noise.

All the thumping came to a sudden stop; silence greedily took its place once more.

Kuroko laid completely still, waiting for an indication for.. Well, anything really. Who was there? What were they doing there? What about their situation? And most importantly, were anyone hurt?

Kuroko's body suddenly felt heavy. Well, heavier. He felt incredibly uneasy, his chest felt tight. He wanted to move. Get out there and see.

The silence didn't seem to come to an end anytime soon. Had it all been his imagination? It wouldn't really surprise him if it turned out it was him going mad. Maybe he already had succumbed to madness, sometimes it certainly could seem that way.

It was then the shouting began. He had no chance of making out any of the words that was uttered, but there was anger evident in the voices. An argument? Listening for a while in complete silence, he noticed that Kise's voice wasn't among them. If he was there, he'd surely have joined them by now.

Was this it? His chance to get out? Kuroko felt uneasy as thoughts started swarming around his mind. Was it really for the best? What if Kise actually was there? If not, what if he came after, whoever was there, had noticed him. They'd meet their end, and he- Well, god knows what he'd go through. However, he knew better than to let someone walk around aimlessly out there, if they stayed too long, for whatever reason, they'd be slain.

So that's what he'd do. He had to get their attention. If not to get out, he could at least warn them, and maybe make them leave in time.

Kuroko took a deep breath through his nose. Then as loudly as he could with his sore throat, he tried shouting through the gag in his mouth. However, as one could expect, that did not prove to be effective. Panic started growing through his body as he realized that the shouting had stopped. After all, this could mean that his chance was already over, even though it barely came to light.

Kuroko forced his stinging eyes open once more, to look for something useful. Immediately his line of sight landed upon a bottle upon the nightstand. With sharp pain pulsing through the very fibre of his being; he reached out his trembling, free hand. It took some effort, stretching out his body, pulling at his chained wrist to get anywhere near, and in the end grabbing the bottle.

He kept in mind to keep a firm grasp on it, as not to drop it as he brought it closer. It didn't take much thought to make up his mind as to how he'd use it. With the little strength he could muster he hit the bottle against the metal headboard of the bed, making an agonising, clashing sound. He ignored the ever growing pain in his head as he hit the head board harder and harder, hoping- Just hoping, that for whatever it was worth, it'd be heard.

 **~ -* (~ÔAÔ)~ * - ~**

A bloodcurdling scream could be heard throughout the dim, messy house, pulling both Aomine and Kagami back to their senses.

"Satsuki-!" Aomine gasped out as he pushed Kagami out of the way, and made his way out of the room.

Kagami followed close behind as Aomine made his way to the stairs. Once there he jumped over most of the many steps, making him almost fall at the impact of landing. Being who he was, agile and tough, he merely put a hand on the rail of the stairs for just enough time to gain his balance before leaping further down. Once downstairs he once again used the rail, this time to slow himself down enough to make a turn. There was no way Kagami would be able to keep up hadn't Aomine come to a stop, he wondered why for a second before realizing. They had no frikin' idea where the scream came from.

They exchanged a quick glance, without words they both understood what they were going to do. And so, a quick nod was all it took for them to split up, they jogged in different directions, looking for anything that could give away the much needed location.

It didn't take long for Kagami's eyes to land upon something, rather someone, around a corner. It was Hyuuga, about to enter through a doorway.

"What happened?" Kagami breathed out, his lungs felt like they had curled up in his confused state.

Hyuuga shook his head, "I got no idea" he said sharply, motioning for Kagami to follow him.

Kagami, of course, didn't hesitate to follow his team mate. As soon as he got to the door he saw a staircase going downwards. He came to a sudden stop at the first couple of steps, as a foul stench reached him. He pulled the collar of his sweater over his nose as he tried to weaken the stench, just enough to stop his supper from escaping his stomach. Once he regained control of his breathing he shouted for Aomine, before making his way down stairs. The first thing he saw was Riko, holding a hand over her mouth, her face twisted in horror. Hyuuga was by her side, holding a supportive hand on her shoulder, his face, no better.

Kagami's eyes then noticed something green in the corner of his eyes. Instinctually looking over he saw Midorima holding a hand over Momoi's eyes, as she clutched his shirt. That's when he saw it, mere meters away from them was- Whatever the hell that was. Rotten- Rotting corpses, kind of looking more like weirdly-coloured jelly with bones. It was at that point Kagami could no longer keep his supper in, he let go of his collar, immediately giving in to hurling.

It didn't take long for the thunder of Aomine's heavy steps made its way closer, until it came to a sudden stop in the middle of the stairs "The hell.." He breathed out, his words muffled ever so slightly by the hand covering his mouth, and nose.

"Pl-please say th-that's not Te.. Tet- Tetsu-kuh-" Momoi sobbed out, her whole body trembling. She looked about ready to fall, luckily Midorima put an arm around her waist, supporting her weight.

At her words Kagami could feel his blood run cold, there was no way Kuroko could be among- That. Just thinking about it made his mouth go dry, his eyes tearing up, ever so slightly. It made him want to hurl once more, hadn't it been for the fact that he had already emptied his stomach. If Kuroko was.. gone. If he was, then-

Kagami really didn't want to think about that.

"It's not," Midorima's stoic voice pulled Kagami out of his thoughts. "these are far too misshapen to be him." He continued, his voice cracked ever so slightly. He had stepped closer to the corpses, leaving Momoi to Aomine, who held her close to his chest without a single trace of hesitation. Midorima looked at them intently, as if he was examining them. "These must have been dead for multiple weeks already.."

Several sighs of relief could be heard in the small group. However, the air around them seemed tenser than ever. It was as they all had just realized the severity of the situation. And the realization hit them all, that Kuroko might just be another corpse somewhere, waiting to be found. Justified.

Kagami slapped himself internally for letting his thoughts become so awfully gloomy. There was no way Kuroko was gone. He couldn't be. Kagami wiped his mouth with his sleeve, as he looked around the room, in an attempt to distract himself. He looked anywhere, but the corner where- Well, that was.

The cellar, seemed to be a place no one really thought of possibly existing in this house. It was plenty spacy enough as it was, and from the looks of it, the occupants thought so as well. It seemed smaller in diameter compared to the rest of the house, yet there was more than enough space. It was mostly empty except for a couple of boxes, some old furniture and this one axe in the middle of the stairs. The most eye catching object in the room had to be this huge, old-looking shelf. No, cabinet was probably the correct word. It was beautifully carved. The fact that even someone like Kagami could see the skill and hard work put into that had to count for something. Not that he was calling himself stupid or oblivious; he just never had any interest for furniture.

"W-well-" Kagami stuttered out, after what felt like hours of mortifying silence. "Standing around here won't get us anywhere. Nor will it do anything good for.. Them." He tried his best to keep his voice from trembling, though to no avail. Everyone's attention immediately turned to him, fortunately no one commented on it, nor on his shaking hands.

Kagami looked over at Hyuuga, who glanced over at Riko's pale face before he spoke up. "No," He said as he gave Riko's hand, which had at some point ended up in his, a light squeeze. "isn't it about time we- I don't know, get the police involved. Properly." He continued hurriedly, yet sternly. He, like everyone else was incredibly put out by the circumstances. "This situation is obviously a lot bigger tha-"

"Absolutely not." Midorima snapped, cutting Hyuuga off harshly. "Akashi wouldn't send us here for no reason. If he said we'd find Kuroko here, then that is what we'll do." He eyed Hyuuga. Giving him an ice cold glare, as he continued. "If we abandon our posts then we might end up ruining everything."

Once again a heavy silence descended upon the group. Sharp looks where exchanged between every individual. Kagami instinctively stepped closer to his teammates, unsure of just who to really agree with.

After all, Hyuuga did have a point; this was far more than they had bargained for. When they first came here, no one had any idea of finding corpses. How could they? This was supposed to be simpler- Well, obviously it wasn't, but judging by the other's reactions, they had just as small expectations as he had. Looking at the situation now just made any good outcome seem impossible, way worse than impossible. Kagami felt his stomach churn painfully, not only because of the horribly nauseating smell, but because of his goddamn mind drifting off to dark places. Very dark places. For all they knew Kuroko was rotting somewhere in the outskirts of Tokyo. Well, no- Kagami wouldn't accept that, but he knew there obviously wasn't any easy way out of this.

That being taken into consideration, Midorima made a perfectly good point too. Akashi wasn't one for doing some half assed job with- Well, anything. If Kagami understood that guy right, he had probably made some kind of detailed plans of the events. Well, Kagami honestly doubted that he could ever learn to understand that freaky guy, but that seemed to be the impression everyone had of him. Anyway, he trusted them to do this. Even if it was only because he found himself unable to do it on his own, which seemed likely, with everything happening as suddenly and all. Even so, he trusted that they wouldn't let him down.

That was when something suddenly clicked. Kagami realized that none of that really mattered. The reason he was here, and the only thing that really mattered here was Kuroko. He was not, ever, going to let him down. And surely, he would get his shadow back by his side, where he belonged.

As time went by the tension in the group grew, the air felt heavier as each second passed by. In the end it was, of course, Aomine who broke the silence.

"What the hell do you mean by that?!" He yelled, taking heavy steps towards Hyuuga. "Do you want to leave Tetsu to this psycho?! You wanna abandon him!" He continued; to everyone's surprize he grabbed Hyuuga's collar harshly.

Kagami thought of stepping in, honestly, he really wanted to. However, the stern glare Hyuuga aimed at Aomine made it clear that it was better to keep a distance for now. Hyuuga obviously had something to say too, and Kagami was not going to ruin that. Especially not when Hyuuga looked that enraged.

"I did not say that, you brainless idiot" Hyuuga said, surprisingly calmly. "I'm simply saying that this is a job for the police." He continued, sharply.

"What the hell have the police managed to do 'till now, huh?!" Aomine said, shaking Hyuuga by his collar, making Hyuuga grab his wrists, as if to calm the motion. "They haven't done shit! Just declared him missing. Asked people to fucking LOOK for him! As if that'd help anything at all!" He practically snarled at the dark haired male in front of him. For a second there, it had almost seemed like he'd jump at his throat.

"Aomine!" Kagami finally stepped in, gripping Aomine's arm roughly. He didn't care to wait for Hyuuga's retort, neither did anyone else. They all knew how he was thinking, it was probably the most reasonable after all.

"You too?!" Aomine snapped back, pulling his arms back. "What kind of LIGHT are you to him, if you're just going to fucking ABANDON him?!" Aomine's ice cold glare was now directed at Kagami, who could feel his own rage boil over. He dared question his loyalty- No, their friendship. He who practically destroyed the guy in the past!

"YOU-!" Kagami snarled only to be cut off by a sharp, yet clear voice.

"SHUT UP!" Kagami looked over to the owner of the voice. Riko, of course. She was standing tall, even as everyone's attention turned to her. "Do you guys think arguing will get us anywhere?! Do you think it'll somehow **magically** help Kuroko-kun?" She questioned, sending a sharp pang of quilt through Kagami, possibly Hyuuga and Aomine too. "So let's continue, don't let our efforts be in vain." She said sternly, yet her voice shook ever so slightly.

With a few small nods, the group started moving out of the cellar. Kagami decided to stay behind, brushing some imaginary dust of his clothes. The rest of the group had barely reached the stairs when a sharp clang rang through the room. Then another one, and another one after that. The sharp sound continued rhythmically, slowly it grew louder and louder.

At first everyone looked towards the door leading to the corridor on the second floor. Then one after the other, their gazes moved onto the lone cabinet by the wall on the other side of the room. Some glanced among them told him that everyone thought the same. Kuroko was there. He had to be.

Immediately everyone ran to the big wooden object. Kagami, who started off closer to it than the others, got there first and started pushing the cabinet. It was heavier than it looked, but as soon as he managed to budge it, the rest went smoothly. Especially when Aomine started helping out.

Managing to get it out of the way, that came into view. A metal door. A rush of hope and, what could only be explained as happiness rushed through Kagami's body, warming up his heart. This meant that Kuroko was okay after all, right?

Momoi seemed to get the same feeling, although her face was still pale, she had obviously gotten a surge of newly found energy running through her body. As soon as she got the chance she took a tight hold of the doorknob. She twisted her wrist in a hurry to pull up the door, however it didn't even as much as budge.

Of course it'd be locked. There's no way it's be that easy.

In one swift motion, everyone looked over at Midorima, who gave a deep sigh before crouching by the door.

Kagami noticed Aomine opening his mouth, just about to say something when Momoi smacked her hand against his face. "Please don't, Dai-chan" She said, smiling softly. She got a small 'whatever' from Aomine, who lazily leaned at the cabinet, trying to keep his cool.

She then glanced over at Kagami, their eyes meeting. "Are you doing alright?" He asked, pretty much forcing his voice out. He needed to distract himself as they waited.

"Yes" She said weakly, giving him a thankful look. "This is nothing if it means we'll get Tetsu-kun back." Sha added, her smile seemingly warmer than before.

Kagami nodded, as he returned a small smile. He couldn't help, but to feel like she really cared for Kuroko, even more than she normally seemed to do. A numbing sadness spread out through him as he pictured her by his side. It seemed like it was 'mean to be', yet it bothered him. Why, he didn't really understand. Maybe it was because he just couldn't imagine Kuroko standing by anyone's side, with that kind of meaning.

Minutes went by, and every one grew more and more impatient. Midorima, even more so than the rest of them. The door seemed to be giving him a pretty hard time.

The fact that the clanging sound started fading. Each time they heard it, it had grown weaker than the last. The amount of time passing between each clang also grew considerably. And that certainly didn't only stress Kagami out.

Then, a sudden, shaky sigh left Midorima's lips. One of relief. Everyone's attention immediately turned to the door, as he took a hold of the handle. Their surroundings seemed to freeze for the slightest second before he turned it, and slowly pulled it open.

The very second it opened the clanging grew a tiny bit louder. Kagami immediately took the few steps ahead, to grab the door a fling it open to dash in before anyone else.

At once a metallic hit against him. The room was dark. More like dim, it was just light enough to make out what was in there. Kagami didn't look around much before he saw the slim hand, swinging a bottle against the headboard of a bed. As the bottle hit the headboard, the hand fell limp, sending the bottle to the ground.

However, Kagami couldn't care less about the damn bottle. He hesitated for a brief moment before making his way over to the bed. He wanted to take a hold of the hand, but he came to a sudden stop.

The sight he met was more than enough to make his heart drop, his blood run cold. Hearing a series of gasps from the group, he knew he wasn't the only one feeling that way.

He was laying on his side, leaning on his right arm which was chained tightly against the headboard of the bed. His face, and the little Kagami could see of his chest and arms were bruised and bloody. Kuroko wasn't dead, but it sure as hell looked like he'd prefer to be.

"What the hell's happened to you.." Kagami muttered to himself, though he feared he already knew.

 **So there it was! Please leave a review and let me know what ya think, I look forward to it~! Cx**

 **..I must admit that I was planning on making it a bit longer, tho I got a writersblock and started thinking too much so everything I wrote started getting overly complicated xD  
So, hopefully you're alright with this, I hope it was worth the read! Cx  
Oh, and if this goes as planned there'll be about three or four more chapters, in the next one I'll (hopefully) let ya know what's happening on Kise's end xP**

 **Thanks for reading! x3**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry for the wait! I just finished writing the chapter, well, rewriting it really xD Thanks for the reviews from the last chapter! And please enjoy! cx**

Kagami crouched down beside the bed. He took a deep breath, ignoring the strong metallic smell manhandling his nose. "Let's get that out of the way." He said, trying his best to stay as calm as possible.

With careful movements he reached for the knot on the back of Kuroko's head which was keeping the gag in place. He had to stay calm, Kuroko needed for him not to overreact. As he fumbled clumsily with the knot he could feel the teal-head trembling. Kuroko was squeezing his eyes shut, pressing himself against the bed as if trying to escape through it.

All in all, Kagami had no idea how to feel about this, it was disheartening to see his shadow like this. To say the least. Numerous of feelings mixed together into an over boiling anger- No, hatred, for the one responsible, but now wasn't the time to feel like that. He had to give all his attention to the trembling teen in front of him.

He kept pulling at the knot until it was loose enough, then in a slow motion he started pulling it off. He couldn't be too hasty with this, after all he wasn't sure if- or how injured Kuroko's head could be.

Probably feeling the slack, Kuroko used his free, shaky hand to slip the gag out of his mouth. "Thanks.." The words came out as a mere whisper from the teal-head. Kuroko opened his bruised eyes, but didn't meet Kagami's gaze. His eyes looked clouded, it didn't really look like he was entirely conscious of his surroundings. Kuroko swallowed hard as he glanced at the shocked group by the foot end of the bed, before he turned his gaze to the mattress beneath him in- What could only be described as shame.

Seeing that stung agonizingly in his heart. "Are you okay, Kuroko?" Well, obviously he wasn't, but what else was he supposed to say?

Kuroko didn't seem to have heard him, or he was simply ignoring his question. He leaned his weight onto his right elbow, the arm that was chained to the headboard. Then proceeded to try pushing himself up, only to fall back down immediately, a small whimper escaping his lips.

It was hard for Kagami not to interfere, he really wanted to help him. However, even moving a tiny bit like that put Kuroko's chained wrist into a weird position, forcing it might've ended up dislocating it.

Kuroko visibly clenched his teeth, shaking his head slightly before opening his mouth again. "I- Uh.. Wh- what's going on?" He asked, his voice weak and shaky. Barely audible.

"Akashi sent us here to get you." Midorima cut in, picking up the plastic bottle from the cold stone floor. "..Who's responsible for the, Kuroko?" He asked as he made his way over to the bed. He took in the situation with observant eyes as he opened the bottle. He took a small whiff of the contents, a frown immediately visible on his face. His gaze rested upon the trembling teen as he waited for an answer.

An answer which never came. Kuroko merely shook his head lightly; he kept his gaze firmly at the mattress beneath him. It looked like he was in pain.

Kagami wished he could get rid of that pain for him.

"Who did this to you?! Tell me so I can kill the fucking bastard!" Aomine snapped.

Kuroko immediately pressed himself closer to the mattress in a sharp jerk. He started shaking his head more violently, clutching his hair with his free hand.

Kagami had no idea what to do. He wanted to punch Aomine for losing his cool like that. Raising his voice like that at Kuroko. They didn't know if Kuroko even knew who the bastard responsible was! However, he also wanted to stay by Kuroko's side, find some way to calm him down.

Hyuuga seemed to have the same idea. He nudged Aomine in the side harshly, then started telling him off in a surprisingly low voice. Aomine only responded with a loud, sharp 'shut up', which made Kuroko even more shaken up.

"Aomine!" Midorima interrupted sternly, shooting Aomine a glare. To which he got a sharp glare back. "Take the girls with you, and get some fresh air." He added, glancing at Kuroko's panicked self.

At first it looked like Aomine was going to retort, however that soon changed with a glance at the teal-head. For a brief second his expression turned soft, before he turned with a click of his tongue. "Come on." He muttered before making his way upstairs, Momoi following close behind.

Riko's gaze fluttered between them, "Take care of him." she said in a surprisingly clear voice. Hyuuga gave her a reassuring nod before, she too, made her way upstairs.

Kagami could barely take his eyes off of Kuroko through the entire ordeal. He hesitantly put a hand on Kuroko's arm, as gently as he could, in an awkward attempt to calm him down. What was he supposed to say in a situation like this? He felt relieved when Kuroko didn't show any sign of backing away or shaking his hand off, but the fact that he still was trembling like a leaf worried Kagami. Just what exactly had he been through? Kagami was sure he didn't want to try imagine it. It scared him. Kuroko wasn't acting anything like he normally did, and it crushed Kagami's heart to watch.

"Now, I'll have to take a look at that chain." Midorima spoke calmly, putting the bottle down on the floor before adding; "Is that okay with you, Kuroko?" to which Kuroko gave a small, reluctant nod.

Kagami scooted over, giving Midorima enough space to walk past, which Midorima didn't care to acknowledge as he made his way over. With surprisingly gentle hands, the green haired teen traced the chains. It looked more like he was looking at Kuroko's wrist than the chains, and judging from his slight change in expression, it didn't look very good.

Now Hyuuga made his way closer to the teal head. He looked at him with soft, yet sad eyes. "Kuroko," He said, immediately getting the shadow's attention. "you don't need to tell us, but if you know- If you feel like it. It'd be useful to know who did this to you. Or maybe what the situation is.." He trailed off, smiling apologetically. "It's okay if you don't want to." He reminded him hastily. It actually seemed like Hyuuga had calmed down, his posture was quite relaxed compared to earlier.

"..Ki-" Kuroko started, catching everyone's attention. He visibly bit his lower lip hard before trying again. "Ki..se..kun" Kuroko mumbled through clenched teeth.

Immediately it felt as if the air around them froze completely, as if time itself stopped around them. Nobody moved, except for small glanced at each other. Kagami heard him, but took incredibly long to actually realize what he said. That was too unexpected.

"He did this?" Midorima's sharp voice broke through the silence. He frowned deeply. Kuroko didn't really reply, all they got as any sign of confirmation was his clenched fists.

Kagami could barely believe it. It didn't make sense to him, in any way. However, Kuroko himself said it, he had no reason to lie. Kagami couldn't doubt him, but still- Kise, the guy who would always hang around Kuroko like a loyal puppy. Always treating him like a precious friend.

That damn two-faced bastard.

"How could he.." Kagami growled out silently to himself.

Carefully he brushed some hair out of Kuroko's pale face. His hair, which was usually soft and fluffy, was now dirty and matte. The shadow was still trembling, but it had calmed down very much. Kagami looked at him intently, taking in his form. He was leaning against Kagami's hand, nodding off. His cheeks were wet, possibly from tears, and there were dark, finger shaped bruises on his throat. He could see blood on both the mattress and the thick blanket. He wanted to know it's origin, but was too scared of actually taking a look beneath the sheets. He was too scared of seeing something he'd never be able to forget.

A door creaking open caught Kagami's attention. He looked up to see Hyuuga opening a wooden door by the entrance, Kagami didn't even notice it earlier, he almost wondered where it came from.

Hyuuga looked inside, immediately grimacing. "What the hell happened in here?"

"What?" Kagami asked, a whole new worry taking form inside him. There weren't possibly any more corpses, were there?

"The floor is covered in glass- Mirror shards" Hyuuga said.

Kagami felt Kuroko tensing up at the words. He started brushing his thumb over his cheek gently, until he once again relaxed. It almost reminded him of all the times at the court, when he patted Kuroko's head, how he always leaned against his touch naturally. It was an extremely good feeling.

Starting to feel impatient, Kagami looked over at Midorima. Who wasn't there. For a second Kagami felt confused, that was until he looked down. There Midorima, of all people- **Midorima** , was laying on the dirty floor, the upper half of his body under the bed.

When he got into that position was a mystery for Kagami, but that didn't matter in the end. What really mattered was how Kagami wished his hand was free, just for a second, so he could get out his phone and get a shot. It could become some good joking material later on, and Takao would definitely get a good laugh out of it.

Instead Kagami kicked his leg lightly. "What are you up to?" He asked sceptically.

Midorima let out a sigh of annoyance before speaking up. "There's a chain shackle here, I'll have to-"

A short scraping sound interrupted him. Metal rubbing against something.

Everyone's attention turned to the door, Midorima immediately got out from underneath the bed. They could hear footsteps. Not heavy, but slow footsteps possibly from the stairs.

Hyuuga looked nervous, where he stood. Closest to the door. He glanced over at them, then back to the door. He raised his hand as if telling them to stay before taking a couple of steps out of the room.

For a moment, every sound died down. Everything was completely silent, except for Kuroko's breathing.

"It's you?" Hyuuga suddenly said, sounding more bitter than surprised. "What are **you** even doing here?" He immediately added.

It didn't take long before they could spot some red hair in the entrance. He approached the door without even glancing at Hyuuga, with an axe at hand. That was not a sight Kagami would forget anytime soon. Fucking creepy.

Akashi stared coldly at them, his expression softening as his gaze found Kuroko. "Good to see you again, Tetsuya." He said, a brief smile forming on his lips.

Kagami glanced at Kuroko, who was out like a light by now. He couldn't help, but smile. Kuroko looked so relaxed, it didn't look like he could feel any pain in his current state.

"Shintaro, Junpei. You can take our leave now." Akashi said sternly. "The police will take you home, or to the hospital if you wish." He added, without as much as looking at either of them. "You've done well." He finished, his voice sounding awfully cold.

"I take it you have it all under control" Midorima said as he got up from the floor.

"Of course" Akashi replied with no hesitation.

With a light nod, Midorima took the bottle from the floor and parted with them. That guy would never really question Akashi, would he? Well, outside the court, of course.

Hyuuga on the other hand, showed no showed no sign of following Akashi's 'orders'. Actually, he walked back into the room, then crossed his arms firmly. He stared darkly at the smaller teen.

"We'll talk later." Akashi said calmly, ignoring the dark glare which was sent his way.

At that Hyuuga gave a small nod, "Guess I'll see you at the hospital." he said, before making his way upstairs.

Akashi and Kagami stared at each other in complete silence until the sound of Hyuuga's footsteps had faded completely. By now Kuroko had started stirring in his sleep. Seemed like he wasn't totally unaffected by Akashi's arrival.

"Tetsuya," Akashi spoke up, roughly jerking Kuroko back to consciousness. "do you trust me?" He continued, making no sign of noticing Kuroko's utterly confused state.

Kuroko took a moment to gather his thoughts, to get some kind of understanding of the situation. Kuroko glanced at the axe in Akashi's hand, unmistakable confusion written all over his face. He then glanced over at Kagami, as if looking for his opinion. Of course, Kagami was just as sceptical. However, for whatever reason- Their former comradeship, or friendship maybe. Kuroko nodded lightly, although reluctantly.

Kagami started getting a bad feeling about this, but wasn't sure if he should interfere. Actually, he wasn't even sure if Akashi was aware of his presence- Well, he should be, he did look directly at him a few moments earlier. Then he was ignoring him? Definitely. But why was Kagami even still there? Not that he wanted to leave, of course not. Although he wasn't feeling any comfort nor anything good about being there, he was not going to leave Kuroko's side. He needed support right now.

He could barely watch as Akashi closed the space between him and Kuroko, griping the axe's handle harder than before. He didn't even glance at Kagami, he showed no acknowledgement of him being there. Yup, he was absolutely being ignored. And he couldn't say he exactly enjoyed it. At least, Kagami should've had the right to know what he was planning- Or should he? Hard to know when it comes to Akashi.

"Good. Then close your eyes, and lean as far away from your arm as you can." Akashi said sternly, yet softly.

Wait- He couldn't possibly be planning to do anything like that? No. He wouldn't hurt Kuroko- or...?

Kuroko swallowed hard before he did as he was told, with hesitant, careful movements. When he got into the right position Akashi raised the axe. He held it up high for a couple of seconds, as if locking on his target.

A rush of fear ran through Kagami's body. Fear for Kuroko's wellbeing. Akashi wasn't planning on taking his hand, was he? He was completely sane now, wasn't he? Even though Kagami had these thoughts he found himself unable to interfere. If Kuroko trusted him, then he should too, right?

With a loud swish, Akashi swung the axe down hard. A loud clang of metal hitting metal rang through the room. It certainly wasn't music for their ears. The chains around Kuroko's wrist fell loose, with a light rattle.

Kagami was relieved to see Kuroko's wrist untouched by the axe's blade, unharmed, with the exception of bruising left from the chains. He could barely believe it, that he managed to do that without hurting the shadow at all. And judging from the shaky sigh leaving Kuroko's lips, he felt the same.

"Can you sit up?" Akashi asked in a surprisingly caring manner.

Kuroko hesitated, but tried without as much as a word of objection. However, he wasn't able to, forcing it only made his whole body shake violently in pain. Kagami was barely able to get a hold of him before he fell back against the mattress. He grabbed his arm as gently as he could, but with the small amount of time he had to react it ended up being a bit rough. He could see Kuroko grimacing in pain for a brief second before putting up his usual poker face. He immediately softened his grip, putting his free hand on Kuroko's back to give him extra support to get up. He couldn't help, but to smile when he saw the thankful gaze Kuroko gave him.

He pulled him up into a sitting position carefully, Akashi helped supporting his back. Even so, Kuroko seemed to be in pain, but he moved without any complaint. He probably didn't want them to worry about him, doing his best to keep it together like that. But in the end, he wasn't able to keep a shaky breath from escaping his lips.

"Where does it hurt?" Kagami immediately ask. He could honestly admit that he didn't think it through before opening his mouth, but he was worried about his friend and wanted to do whatever he could to lessen his pain. Even if just by a little bit.

Kuroko shook his head lightly, as he turned around to get his feet on the ground with a light grunt. His legs slipped out of the blanket, his left leg with hesitation. It was obvious as soon as his left leg came to sight that they had to move right away. His leg was dislocated, and almost completely blue, the tip of his foot white as snow. It reminded Kagami of the many times in his childhood he was bored, and would tie a string tightly around his finger to watch and satisfy his curiosity. It looked as if there was something wrong with his blood flow.

Then the blanket which had covered his upper body until now slid down from his chest, catching Kagami's attention exposing so many bruises all over his chest- bloody wounds, and-

Bitemarks.? Bloody, infected bitemarks-

God no.

Kagami had his suspicions before. Considered the chance of it being the case, but it still he could never be prepared on the impact of the truth. The pain and frustration surging through his body. To think that Kuroko had been going through such a hell.

Kuroko seemed to have noticed his reaction, as he pulled at the blanket to cover himself up again. "I think it's be easier to say what doesn't hurt" His voice was husky, and barely audible as he spoke. Smiling sheepishly, averting his gaze.

Kagami saw the pain and shame in the teal-head's eyes. Quickly he helped Kuroko getting the blanket properly over him, trying to push aside the guilt he felt. Nevertheless, they still had to move on. Get him out.

"Taiga, take him upstairs." Akashi said sternly, looking away. It was as if Kuroko shrunk a bit at the icy tone of his voice.

Kagami glared at Akashi, but didn't want to argue with him. Not now at least. He wanted to get Kuroko the help he needed as soon as possible. Akashi could hear him out later.

However, he wasn't able to push aside his frustration. And so, with only getting out in mind, he put his arms under Kuroko and hoisted him up carelessly.

"W-wait! Let go" Kuroko started squirming in Kagami's arms, tried pushing himself away from him.

Kagami immediately leaned Kuroko's body onto the bed again, but he did not let him go. A glance at Akashi's cold stare made him feel uncomfortable, but he decided to ignore him. He knew he made a mistake, however he was set on getting Kuroko out now.

He adjusted his grip on Kuroko. He kept a gentle, yet firm grip on him. "Kuroko, calm down." He said, as calmly and softly as he could. Not that he was good at that. "I'll just carry you up the stairs, from there you can walk on your own, so please settle down" He continued, now in a soft mutter.

Kuroko regained his composure, although his body was super tense he gave a small nod in agreement. Kagami felt kind of proud for dealing with that relatively easily, he couldn't stop himself from sending Akashi a taunting look.

Once again he lifted Kuroko's tense body from the bed, this time more carefully. He put an arm under his functioning knee, trying not to get into any sort of contact with his swollen leg in fear of hurting him. In the few steps it took to get to the stairs Kuroko relaxed his body completely, leaned himself against Kagami's chest. Kagami couldn't help, but notice that Kuroko felt lighter than he could remember, though it had only been eight days so it almost had to be his imagination. Maybe he was so worried that he tried finding even more things to worry about. He looked back to the hidden room where Akashi still was, before making his way upstairs. Wasn't he going to come? Not that he really cared, maybe he had something to do here for all he knew.

When he got to the exit they were met by ambulance personnel. A guy with dark brown hair took Kuroko, who had fallen asleep at some point, out of his arms. A tug in his jacket pulled Kagami's attention to Kuroko's bruised hand, gripping the dark fabric tightly. Kagami could make himself pry it out of his hands, so he slipped it off and put it over the teal head.

Some police officers entered the house the very moment they got out. Why they waited outside until now was a mystery, probably Akashi's doing. Kagami didn't care right now. He caught a ride with the ambulance to the hospital where the other's waited.

Failed to notice the blond spectator in the shadows of the event.

 **~ -* (~Ô3Ô)~ * - ~**

Kise crouched down by some bushes in a park, gripping his aching upper arm tightly. He gazed at his surroundings, sighing in relief as he noted there was no one there. He could finally take a breather.

He wasn't sure just how he ended up in this park, but he surely had been running around for a while now. Through a part of his way he found safety on rooftops, but as he got further into his district the heights of the buildings started varying too much. This forced him to get down to the ground, he was immediately met by police officers.

He was lucky that they were giving him a "chance" to turn himself in, it gave him a good opportunity to run away. He took a big chance, leaping into the cover of an alleyway, but it turned out to be a good choice. He got away with a small scratch.

A small scratch he could not take care of if he wanted to get away. He didn't meet any more police after that encounter, but he could hear them shouting and cursing after him as he made his way out of the place.

He was lucky to find a blind route in the east; it was easy to find his way through and stay hidden. There were many buildings and a lot of trees were planted for decorational purposes.

As soon as he was sure he had lost the police he started making his way to his original destination, but he wasn't there yet. He still had some way to go.

He pressed his hand hard against the wound, a groan escaping his lips. It took some time for him to realize that he'd been hit by a bullet, but fortunately it was only his arm. Anyway, he had to stop the bleeding, as he should've a while ago. This surely was some kind of hell.

He pulled his scarf off hastily with a shaky hand, right now it felt like the damn thing was chocking him. And it had a better use. He put it on his lap as he located the wound on his upper arm. He traced his arm with trembling fingers, finding not one, but two wounds. He was relieved. There was an exit wound, the bullet wasn't in there. He didn't need to worry anymore.

He quickly tied the scarf over his wounds as tightly as possible with his free hand and mouth, letting out yet another groan as he did so. The pain pulsed through his arm rhythmically, but he knew he had to hold on if he were to get his beloved Kurokocchi back.

He looked around the area once more, trying to spot anything to give away his current position. After all he wasn't sure exactly where he ended up. Of course, there was none. In the end, he had to leave the fragile safety of the park to find his way home, but it wasn't smart to go there was it? The police could be waiting there for him, or worse, Akashi. For all he knew they could've found Kurokocchi already.

The frustration grew inside him. His breath grew erratic and it felt like his heart tried to force its way out of his ribcage. It hurt so incredibly much. He clutched his hand over his chest in an attempt to calm himself, but it didn't work. He started feeling dizzy and it grew harder and harder to breathe.

They were going to take Kurokocchi away from him. Maybe they already had. He couldn't let them. What was he supposed to do? There's no way he could live without him.

He squeezed his eyes shut and rested his head on his healthy hand. Trying his best to gather his thoughts. He listened attentively to his surroundings, but all he could hear was his heart beating like thunder in his ears.

The rhythm of it gradually calmed him down. Somehow. Everything was not lost. Of course it wasn't.

He stood up. He was going to return to Kuroko's side. He would know what to do if he saw what the situation was. And he could be patient.

Waiting was worth it, for Kurokocchi.

 **Okay! I must honestly say that I had second thoughts about putting the first part into the fic, I was originally planning to skip straight over this stuff xD But I left it in, except for a small part with Kuroko's perspective, it might be there in the next chapter tho xP**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, and please leave a review and let me know what you think of this chapter, it helps a lot! cx**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys! Long time no see! Really-**

 **I'm reaaaaally sorry about that, I've been busy studying medicine, and dying slowly on the inside. One would think I'd have some free time, but I've got physical tests I've got to pass in may, and I'm still weak as heck QAQ Not to mention I've been busy at work.. X3X But enough of my excuses! I started this chapter a looooooong time ago, and recently picked it up again. So here ya go! Hope ya enjoy! ;D**

 **~ -* (~=3=)~ * - ~**

Kuroko's eyes fluttered open, but soon fell shut as his tired eyes felt far too heavy to keep open. His body was freezing cold for the most part; heat spreading out from his side. Unconsciously, he leaned against whatever it was radiating the glorious warmth. He felt even sleepier as his body was swayed back and forth, feeling the muscles moving beneath him, the sound of breathing- Wait a minute, muscles? Breathing? That was unlikely.. But he surely recognized the feeling. He forced his heavy eyelids open, tried to lift his head from the heaving chest to catch a glimpse of who it was carrying him. For some reason he was expecting to see red hair, with eyebrows like- like.. what? Instead, in all the blur he found a blonde patch instead.

"Are you awake, love?" The blonde's voice was unnaturally deep and hoarse, like it was whenever he- Whenever he ended wanted to do those- those disgusting things.

In that very moment realization hit him. He was in Kise's arms, but why?

Why was he expecting any different? He had been there for god knows how long, he had no right to be surprised.

Fear took a hold of his body, and for a few seconds it was completely impossible to move. However much he tried his boy just wouldn't listen. Until, just as suddenly as it came it let go, and Kuroko tried wiggling himself out of the blonde's hold. The hold around him tightened, but he didn't stop. He trashed around and hit Kise until he was forced to sit down to get a better grip on the shadow. Kuroko had gone through this so many times, that he knew the outcome, but being dragged along was always better than being carried like that, he somehow felt more in control with his feet on the ground, even though they were aching.

However, Kise didn't do what he usually did. He abruptly let go of Kuroko, sending him dashing to the ground. Pain rushed Pain rushed throughout his body as he hit the ground, it wasn't such a big drop, but the stone floor and his already aching limbs didn't make it any better.

Then, before Kuroko could get himself together Kise yanked him up roughly by his hair. Kuroko groaned out in pain, a gesture which was, of course, completely ignored. Kise's other hand soon found Kuroko's chin, gripping it tightly, forcing Kuroko to face Kise.

"Your hair's gotten dirty" He said, now smiling softly. "If you settle down I'll take care of it for you." He 'explained', brushing his thumb against Kuroko's lips lightly.

Kuroko knew being passive was for the best, but something stirred within him, denying all reasoning. The walls of the makeshift bathroom behind Kise bringing back memories of the last 'shower' he had. He had never gone that long without breathing before that. He knew he should've pushed the memories- the feelings, aside and let Kise do as he wished. It'd let him off easy. Maybe. Still, Kuroko's body wouldn't listen. Without as much as a though, not a single one. He spit the blonde in the face.

Kise's eye twitched slightly, but he didn't show any sign of wiping it off. Rather he stuck his tongue out as it ran slowly down to the corner of his mouth, and licked it. Kuroko did his best not to show the disgust he felt, tried to keep his perfect pokerface. If he really managed to, he didn't know. For Kise stared intently at him, his smile had completely faded. His eyes, filled with dark displeasure.

It was almost as if he was looking for something.

When suddenly. The hand on Kuroko's chin moved to his neck, and in the very next moment he was thrusted against the wall behind him.

"Why don't you-" Kise started, but his shaking voice cut off. He took tightened his grip around Kuroko's neck pulling him back against him before pushing him back against the wall. Kuroko barely heard a shattering sound at the impact as the throbbing pain in his head pretty much muted the sound. "Can't you understand that I love you! I'M DOING THIS ALL FOR YOU KUROKOCCHI!" Kuroko was too busy to see Kise's face twisted in genuine pain, as his head was smashed repeatedly into the wall, or was it maybe the mirror? Probably the mirror. Definitely the mirror.

Kuroko could barely breathe, and judging by the bloody glass shards falling to the ground, his head was probably split open too. His sight became a hazy black, and he knew his consciousness could fail him at any moment. In all honesty, he kind of wanted it to, he felt so incredibly tired. Like vanilla ice cream on cookies spread too thin.

He waited for the blessed darkness to claim him as Kise declared his love for him over and over again, like he had so many times before. When all came to an abrupt stop. Kuroko was held against the wall. The grip around his neck loosened just a bit. All he could hear was his own loud heart beats and Kise's shallow breaths.

"Please say you love me.." Kise chocked out as tears started streaming down his face. "Please Kurokocchi.. Just this once, say you love me.." His voice trembled, almost as much as his body.

Kuroko stared at him, he knew that Kise was trying to do something, but he wasn't sure of what. Right now, he didn't even want to think about it, he actually felt sorry for the guy. He felt the Kise hands fall off of him. His legs wouldn't carry his weight in his sorry state and he slid down to the floor, Kise's body slumped against him.

"Please.." He sobbed out hoarsely, leaning his head into the crook of Kuroko's neck.

Kuroko listened to him, fighting against the urge to gasp and cough. He snaked his arms around the blonde's body, pulling him closer. "..I love you" He whispered, everything the blonde had done completely forgotten.

If only for a single, insignificant moment.

Kuroko squeezed his eyes shut before forcing them up, a bright light immediately hitting him. His gaze met an unfamiliar, white room. Was there someone beside him? It took a while for him to gather his thoughts, neither did he know what he dreamed of nor where he was now. Not how he ended up here either, not that it really mattered to him right now. He just wanted to know **where** he was. A pounding pain in his head forced him to close his eyes again, groaning as he did so.

"Oh, you're awake Kuroko-san" A deep, calm voice said.

Kuroko forced his eyes up once again, taking deep breaths as he looked over at the stranger. He had dark hair which was slicked back, and a- Was that a white coat? So, he was at a hospital? The dark-haired- man, or doctor? -continued to talk, but Kuroko could only hear unclear mumbling. It almost sounded as if he was far off in some tunnel or something.

The bluenette gazed tiredly at the man when a twinge in his arm got his attention. He looked down to see the man's hands fiddling with a needle. He said something about rolling veins and laughed somewhat apologetically, but Kuroko didn't know what. He only saw the needle being pulled out before he soon tried again.

Kuroko felt his body tense up as he remembered the injections Kise forced on him to 'calm him down', and immediately knew he didn't want it. He scooched away as well as he could, muttering a 'no'. His breath grew unsteady. He couldn't stop his body from shaking. His head was spinning.

The doctor grabbed his arm once more, not roughly, but firmly still. Looking up at the man's face he saw confusion and remorse, as he said something about help. Kuroko didn't catch exactly what he said, but he understood perfectly well that the man was there to help him, yet his body didn't seem to accept that. He felt so- so.. Scared, and out of control.

 **~ -* (~OnO)~ * - ~**

He couldn't say he felt proud about anything he had done in this.. Situation. He actually felt like he'd failed his friend. From the very beginning the way he handled it was a massive train wreck.

First, he lost his cool, something he thought he was no longer capable off, but Kuroko's disappearance proved otherwise. Anyway, he managed to calm down pretty easily, at least on the outside, not really that surprising. It's actually what came after that which bothered him so incredibly much. He didn't see who it was. He had no idea how or why, but his mind just wouldn't let him think about it. Was it Kuroko's influence?

He, who always thought good about his teammates and trusted them blindly, even after they abandoned him. Sure, they broke him apart and he hated them for a while, but he forgave them so incredibly fast. He fought for them to be happy. He only wanted them good.

If Akashi just hadn't let himself influence by Kuroko, if he just hadn't grown soft on these idiots. He would've gotten it way sooner. He would've seen the signs with no fog of this damned "trust" to screw up his thoughts. Seeing all those signs, yet finding excuses for them, so that he wouldn't have to rip their friendship apart.

Although, it wasn't Kuroko's fault. No, he'd never dream of blame him. It was all his own fault, for being so damn weak-minded.

Right, it was a mistake, he couldn't let himself grow soft, not now, not ever.

For some reason, when he finally realised, no, When he could no longer keep the truth hidden from himself. - The day he so carefully covered the swollen side of his jaw with a turtleneck hoodie, and a bandage. He claimed for it to be a hickey, but it was obviously far too swollen, and was too sore for that to be the truth, judging by Kise's actions. - Akashi hadn't been able to bring himself to actually accuse Kise, to bring him to justice for whatever he'd done. Even though Akashi could feel the terrible sense of dread falling upon him. He'd been too slow, if Kuroko had been through enough to start using violence. Kuroko had to be desperate to do that. And Kise was the source of this desperation.

Akashi had _**let**_ it get too far. He'd just been standing in the background _**observing.**_ Not doing a damn shit, because he had to give this _**blind trust**_ even though he knew he'd come to regret it!

 **DAMNIT!**

He let out a heavy huff, as he looked over at Kuroko's sleeping form in the hospital bed, guilt washing over him like tidal wave of sharp spikes. Spikes of guilt and shame. He'd never let friendship stand in the way of truth again, not if it would cost him this.

"I'm sorry, Kuroko"

 **~ -* (~OoO)~ * - ~**

A few days went by before anyone except Kuroko's brother, and for some reason Akashi, were allowed to visit Kuroko. Two weeks to be exact. Two weeks of knowing close to nothing. Two weeks of torture. Even then, they couldn't go all at once, they had to go two or three at the time.

Before they could enter they got some ground rules, which went something like; they should act like they always do, keep sudden movements to a minimum, avoid stressing him, and keep in mind what he's been through. Of course these rules were hard to follow for them, all at the same time, but they tried their best not to do anything too stupid.

In these small visits, they had to be kept short for too long visits seemed to stress him out, Kuroko was in the centre of everything. Everyone's attention fully on him. They spent their time, after school and training, making sure that Kuroko ate his meals, or at least something and that he was kept hydrated. And more than anything, they kept him company, and reminded him daily that they missed having him around outside of the hospital.

Kuroko was always quiet, more so than usual. In fact, he said nothing. Ever. Weird as it may be, he kept looking to Kagami whenever people asked him about anything, as is looking for confirmation or something. Kagami would always give a soft smile. Pitying even- Not that he was aware.

Over time Kuroko kept getting thinner and thinner, and it seemed impossible to actually get any proper contact with him. He just sat in the bed, just barely existing. He almost seemed to be slowly fading away.

The redhead couldn't help but feel helpless. He kept watching his dearest friend, his partner, wither away. Trying, but failing at doing anything about it.

As such, it didn't take long for Akashi to pull Kagami aside.

 **~ -* (~O3O)~ * - ~**

It was a friday afternoon, nineteen days had passed since their "rescue mission". Kagami had brought Kuroko a vanilla milkshake. Although he'd seen a glint of happiness in the bluenette's eyes, maybe even excitement for a brief second, Kuroko had barely tasted it. It might not have been entirely unusual hadn't that been an hour earlier.

Kagami had to admit it hurt him a bit, but he kept a smile on his face. He just couldn't comprehend why Kuroko hadn't finished it yet, it normally took him twenty minutes, at most. Now he just sat there, rolling the full cup in his hands slowly. Back and forth in his lap.

'Don't you like it?' Kagami wanted to ask, but he was afraid to hurt Kuroko's feelings. Kuroko didn't like questions after- ..the incident. Not just questions about his time "away", just about anything made him feel uncomfortable. Made him go into a sort of trance. Made him shake, as if a chill buried it's was through his skin and into the marrow of his bones. He'd look at his hands, almost obsessively, a blank look on his face. He'd grip his fingers one after the other, squeezing them hard. There was more he'd do, he'd take deep breaths, bite his lips to the point of bleeding. He even tried ripping a nail off his finger once.

The doctor said it was a coping mechanism. Or rather a defensive one.

It didn't matter to Kagami, it was still horrible to watch Kuroko get like that. Whether it was because he didn't want to think about what he went through, or he didn't want others to know. It didn't matter. Kagami would just stop asking. And Kuroko could take the time he needed to get better.

Kagami had spent an hour with Kuroko, speaking of anything he could think of to fill the silence. Everything from "you look better today"(He really didn't, if anything he looked worse), to "training was really hard today" and "Riko tried to cook again,did I mention that?". By now he'd ran out of things to say, and as such they both sat in a fragile silence. Both staring at the warm cup in Kuroko's hands.

Even so, Kagami enjoyed to be here alone with Kuroko. He wasn't entirely sure, but Kuroko seemed to show more emotions on his face when they were alone. Calmer even. That, of course, could all be his imagination.

As this he could talk of sweet nothings. Of the many times Kuroko had stayed over at Kagami's place. The times Kuroko passed out from training too hard, or when he just couldn't get the ball through the basket. Or the games they'd barely won because of Kuroko.

He'd get so busy talking that he didn't notice the protests and sadness filling Kuroko's eyes.

Now however, Kagami had something that needed to get out. And with Kuroko looking so out of place, he just had a feeling it's have to be now.

"You know, Kuroko." Kagami said, his voice covering the silence, but not removing it entirely.

Kuroko sat still, watching the cup in his hands for a while longer. Kagami waited patiently for him to look up. He would be lying if he said he didn't feel awkward sitting there silently, completely still for so long. In the end it took almost five minutes before Kuroko looked up.

Kuroko's eyes were glossed over, he had probably been on the verge of crying for a while now.

Kagami reached out his hand, slowly as if to a wild animal. And let it rest right by Kuroko's side. Kuroko looked at his hand, his eyes wide for the smallest moment. Taking in shallow breaths, then came one deep one. And he put his own hand in the redheads.

Kagami grinned at Kruoko, if he could read Kruoko's mind in that moment, he'd know just how warm it was. He brushed the back of Kuroko's hand carefully with his thumb, in small circles.

"I know you're having a hard time," He said, his voice soft and quiet. Almost shaking. Just thinking about bringing this up before had been hard, but now.. "I just-"

"Kagami." Akashi's stern voice interrupted him.

Kagami frowned, looking over at Akashi. Immediately he let go of Kuroko's hand. _Had he looked at Kuroko than, he'd see the dissapointment filling his eyes, his hand reaching out for Kagamis_. Akashi practically glared at him, slowly raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah?" His voice was flat, void of interest or freidnlyness. He heard it himself, but didn't care too much. Akashi had been even more of an asshole lately than he usually was.

"Do you have a moment?" He asked, though it wasn't really a question. Akashi made that more than obvious, opening the door wide for him.

"Sure," Kagami muttered under his breath, He turned over to Kuroko a soft smile painting his features again. "I'll be right back"

 **~ -* (~=n=)~ * - ~**

Seeing Kagami's leaving form, all Kuroko could think of was how much he despised being alone.

Even before he'd find silence overbearing when he was alone. Now it felt like the air tried to choke him. Slowly, and without as much as a snivel of mercy.

Now- now he was a mere shell of the loser he used to be. Now his parents were gone and everyone pitied him. Looked down on him and felt sorry for him, as if they were incapable of anything else. Though he didn't want to admit it, it got to him. When he was alone it crushed him, slowly and painfully.

What was worse though was the thoughts, the memories coming back to him when he was alone. Kise's voice ringing in his ears like acid eating away the meat on his bones. Kise's form showing itself before him, smiling wickedly, frowning, crying, laughing- even though he knew he wasn't there, he couldn't be. Kuroko shook, merely thinking about it.

He tried not to let Kise's words bother him, but the more he thought of them, the more they made sense. His parents did indeed throw him away, his brother too, they threw them away to travel and see the world. Leaving behind their responsibility of taking care of their children. Kuroko had often wondered if it was his fault, he was nothing like his brother. Kuroko was always average, no better nor worse. He was never able to live up to their expectations. Because of them his brother was forced to take care of him, Kuroko had merely been ten years old when they started going on their long trips. And his brother offered his studying to help Kuroko with his studies and sports. Kuroko should've let his brother of the hook, he should've taken care of himself. He'd ruined his brother's life, there'd be no surprise if he hated Kuroko.

His friends, wouldn't be here if he wasn't useful to them. If he couldn't play basketball with them. They waited patiently because they thought they needed him, when they obviously didn't. And he knew, he would never be of use to them like that again. He'd never play again, and he kept quiet.

He was betraying them.

But then again, he didn't matter, so neither should his betrayal. Right?

..Maybe Kise really had been right about a few things..

Kuroko laid down, closing his stinging eyes. Sleep was the only escape he had.

 **~ -* (~=3=)~ * - ~**

"Right this way Kagami," Akashi's voice was icy. Even the air around him felt chilly.

They were walking down the corridor in the hospital; a silence fell over them. Kagami felt more and more at edge the farther from Kuroko's room they got. The fact that Akashi didn't spare him a single glance since they'd stepped out the door didn't make it any better.

Akashi led him to the cafeteria, in silence, and bought them both a bowl of soup. He then led them to a table, all this acting as if they were casually grabbing a bite together. And without saying a single word to Kagami.

Kagami sat stiffly opposite of Akashi. He watched as Akashi ate his soup, he knew better than to interrupt him after the time he'd spent around him. And now Akashi had grown even more distant to the others, even his old team members. He was even cold and stern, almost angry, all the time.

Kagami glanced at his own soup. He had to admit this had to be one of the few times in his life food had seemed unappetizing to him. The soup was plain, probably milk based or something. With some vegetables and some meat resembling pork in it, all cut in tiny pieces. He didn't touch it at all.

And so, he sat there waiting for Akashi to finish eating. He sure took his damn time.

"It's true what they say about hospital food, it's rather plain" Akashi said casually, as if picking up on a conversation they had. He put his spoon down in the empty bowl, taking a sip of water.

"Then why did you eat it?" Kagami asked in a grumpily, he wanted to go back to Kuroko.

"We should see to it that Kuroko gets something better to eat.." Akashi ignored him entirely, didn't he? "Maybe then he'll actually eat"

Kagami sighed heavily, glaring at Akashi. "Bastard" He growled lowly. He couldn't help it, he tried to play nice, but Akashi had a way of hitting a nerve whatever he did. "..Then what do you want?" He then asked.

"It's a matter of manners," Akashi said then. "it's about respect for those who made it." Akashi looked at him sternly, his eyes unnaturally dark.

"What the hell do you want?" Kagami repeated, he sounded angrier than he'd intended. Then again, he felt angrier than he cared to admit.

"It's not a matter of what I want Taiga, it's what I don't" Akashi said calmly, standing up. "I don't want to see you in that room again" He turned to walk away.

"What? What the fuck? Why not? Why does it matter what you-" Kagami's words came out like a desperate half chuckle. Why would Akashi say that.

"Silence Taiga." Akashi's voice was like ice, freezing everything in it's way. "I don't want to see you there, understood?" Akashi stood still, half turned towards Kagami. Still he could see the glare he was sending him perfectly well.

"How can I understand something you won't explain?" Kagami bit out, forcing himself to calm down. Shouting would do no good when it came to Akashi.

"Kuroko has started depending on you too much," Akashi turned to face Kagami fully now. "With what he's been through, it's just not healthy. He needs to remember how it is to be independent" Akashi's voice was strangely gentle as the words left his lips, his eyes still held the same glare though.

"How so? How does he depend on me?" Kagami just couldn't see it, yet even he noticed how his voice was showing his panic. His desperation.

Akashi gave him an odd look, as if he pitied Kagami's lack of braincells. "You're the only one Kuroko dares look into the eyes of. He never react to anything anyone does or says if you're not present, as if he disconnects himself from the world completely. He doesn't even touch food or drinks if you're not present. How can you not see it, he nee-"

"Then shouldn't I be there for him the most?" Kagami cut him off, it didn't sound as if he needed to leave. Kuroko needed him.

"No!" Akashi slammed his fist hard against the table. "If it hadn't been for that behaviour of his, he'd be able to go home now." Akashi's growled, Kagami had never seen him lose his temper like this. His form was shaking, his voice trembling and his eyes- those eyes so full of pent up anger, they sent a shiver down Kagami's spine. "He can't spend his entire llife depending on you, Taiga.." The look in his eyes softened somewhat. "I'll give you 'til monday to come to terms with this. It's for Kuroko, remember that" He said casually, and walked away as if, well- As if they were two friends who just finished a meal together.

 **~ -* (~=o=)~ * - ~**

 **DUN DUN DUUUUN!**

 **Well, this was supposed to be the final chapter, but as you can see, that wont do.. .3.''**

 **Sorreh! But hey, I'll try to drag my slow ass through it faster, I've found my inspiration again(it's called porn), so hopefully I'l have it done within three weeks, at most. Love ya! And see ya soon! ..you few patient folks who are kind enough to read this..**


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